These coloured persons were not only included in the body of 'the people of the United States' by whom the Constitution was ordained and established; but in at least five of the States they had the power to act, and doubtless did act, by their suffrages, upon the question of its adoption.
Editor's note · Context
In his speech on the Dred Scott decision, Lincoln highlights the historical fact that free colored persons were part of "the people" who ordained the Constitution and participated in its adoption.
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