Emory president's essay citing slavery deal of 1787 as example of compromise draws criticisms
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - In this July 30, 2003 file photo, Emory University president James W. Wagner speaks during a press conference at the Emory Conference Center Hotel in Atlanta, Ga. Wagner has come under criticism for using the three-fifths compromise on slavery from U.S. history for his essay about the value of finding common ground in politics and on campus, published in the Winter 2013 issue of Emory Magazine. (AP Photo/Barry Williams, File) (The Associated Press)
The president of Emory University is taking heat from faculty after he wrote an essay citing the three-fifths compromise on slaves as an example of finding common ground in politics.
A faculty group has voted to censure Emory President James Wagner and students are planning a protest next week. Wagner was writing about the value of finding common ground when he mentioned the compromise of 1787. The compromise allowed states to count three-fifths of the slave population toward representation in Congress, giving southern states more power.
Wagner later wrote an apology, saying he was sorry for the hurt caused by not communicating his beliefs more clearly. In the apology, he said he considers slavery to be heinous and inhuman.