Dbq North And South Essay

The North and South both had very different opinions on the issue of slavery, the North thinking that slavery was a terrible thing, and the South wanting it to stay. The North thought that slavery needed to be abolished, while the South thought it should stay, though they both thought that what they were doing was right and just.

First of all, the North wanted slavery to be abolished due to it making humans dehumanized and forced to be treated like animals. In the first document Lincoln says, “when this Government was first established, it was the policy of its founders to prohibit the spread of slavery into the new Territories of the United States, where it had not existed.” This shows that Lincoln does not want slavery to continue spreading,

The Southerners did not believe that what they were doing was wrong, as is shown in Document 2 where it says, “We have never aggressed upon the North… They have robbed us of our property, they have murdered our citizens while endeavoring to reclaim that property by lawful means” This shows that the Southerners believed that the Northerners were stealing from them and were on the wrong side of the battle. The document also shows that the Southerners also believed the slaves were property and that the North were stealing property instead of saving people. When Lincoln declared slavery illegal some Southerners were not upset, and instead believed that it would help them, as shown in Document 6 when a Confederate General said, “I think Lincoln’s proclamation will produce dissensions and trouble at the North, and will thus indirectly benefit our Cause.” This shows that the Confederate soldier believed that Lincoln’s proclamation would help them in their war due to making some Union soldiers upset. The document also shows that the Confederate soldier was not upset about Lincoln’s proclamation, and even wanted it to exist. Overall, the South wanted slavery to exist and believed they were correct in what they were fighting

The Northerners believed that they were right because they were helping to save many slaves. This is shown because in Document 1 Lincoln says, “when this Government was first established, it was the policy of its founders to prohibit the spread of slavery into the new Territories of the United States”. This shows that Lincoln believed he was fighting for what the founding fathers intended. This would make him think that he was right because it was what the founders of the US wanted to happen. The Southerners also believed that they were right because it was what they grew up around, and so believed it to be right from birth. This is shown in Document 7 where it says “Then the Northern people began to preach, to lecture, and to write about the sin of slavery . . . And when the territories were settled they were not willing for any of them to become slaveholding.” This segment from the document, which is from a textbook in schools, shows that the South believed that they were correct, and so taught children in schools. This would make the kids believe that slavery was right and to dislike the North from a young age. Overall, both sides believed that they were right, and the other side was