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Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is criticizing Texas Gov. Rick Perry for his statements on the 10th Amendment, saying they echo rhetoric used by slavery-defending Confederate leaders.

“After all, it was the Tenth Amendment and states’ rights that protected the institution of slavery. The words ‘slave’ or ‘slavery’ did not appear in the Constitution. The institution of slavery, the Tenth Amendment and states’ rights are joined at the hip,” Jackson wrote.

HuffingtonPost.com reports:

In his statement, Jackson argues that Confederate leaders looked to the 10th Amendment in the mid-19th century as a way to perpetuate slavery. Even in modern times, he wrote, that amendment “has been used primarily to keep the federal government from bringing equality within and between the 50 states on such critical issues as ending unemployment, providing high quality health care (remember many states filed suit against Obamacare citing the 10th Amendment) and education, justice, business, voting, environmental protection, housing and more.”

Read more at HuffingtonPost.com

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