Civil War Dbq Essay

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In America in the 1840s and 1850s the north were growing industrially and relying on factories while the south was still rural and all about agriculture the two were growing apart. There became the debate over slavery and the north saw it has morally wrong while the south saw no problem with it. In the 1860s the south finally seceded from the union when Lincoln became president. In effort to try and help with issues there became many compromises like the compromise of 1850. While some believe the civil war started over “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” there is historical evidence that shows that the real causes for the secession of the southern states and the starting of the civil war to force them back into the union, were overwhelmingly the caning of …show more content…

Dred Scott was a slave who tried to sue his owner because he said since he lived in a free state he was a free man. The north went on to back up the dred scott by using the missouri compromise and that in the constitution the writers meant “we the people” as everybody including slaves, so that gives them the rights of a citizen. The south had many arguments one being the missouri compromise was unconstitutional and congress couldn’t tell states if they could be free or slave and what the can do with their property. Lastly slaves or former slaves for that matter had no rights of a citizen. In document H the fugitive slave act of 1850 it talks about how slave owners have the right to claim their slaves if they escape no matter where they escape to. “May pursue and reclaim such fugitive person, either by procuring a warrant from some one of the courts, judges, or commissioners”. This shows the side of the south saying they could claim their slaves since they are considered property and it doesn't matter if they are in a free or slave state. This went against dred scott and was a main reason on why he lost in court. On the other side Frederick Douglass speech on the the Dred Scott decision he talks about how “we the people” means everybody including slaves all men and woman of the united states. He goes on to say all citizens have the same rights so how could the south deprive black people the right to freedom, life and liberty. “ we, the people not we, the white people- not we, the citizens, or the legal voters-not we the privileged class…”. This shows how some northers saw the constitution statement “we the people” as the entire united states and it shows the differences between the northern and southern states this caused great tension over this dred scott case and was a main reason for the secession of the south and the civil