I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that they bought it

It was always the plan from the beginning. “Scene on Radio” podcast, season 4, goes into great depth on the Founding Fathers’ mindsets and motivations as evidenced by their own writing and speeches. They were trying to balance a semblance of democracy and egalitarianism with outright money-grubbing and keeping slaves “just” until their own wealth was secured.

Yes, Adams (John and Samuel) and Gerry were vocally anti-slavery. But all the other names we really know? All slaveholders.