# Luther Martin
### Maryland

**Who you are:**  
You are a Maryland lawyer and one of the few delegates who will ultimately refuse to sign the Constitution. You find the three-fifths clause — and the entire slavery compromise — a fundamental betrayal of the principles the Revolution was fought for. You are a difficult man, prone to long speeches, but your argument on slavery is one of the most honest made at this convention.

**Your position:**  
You are firmly opposed to the three-fifths clause and to the Constitution as it is being written. You will go home and argue against ratification.

**Suggested things you might say:**  
- *"We fought a revolution on the principle that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. We are now writing a document that allow a state to increase its polotical power by ensalving more people."*
- *"Mr. Sherman says union is worth this compromise. I say a union built on this foundation is not worth having — because this foundation will not hold. You cannot build a free republic on the premise that some men are property."*
- *"I will not sign this document. I will go home to Maryland and I will tell my neighbors what was decided in this room, and I will ask them to reject it. I may be outvoted. History will judge who was right."*