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Did The Constitution Lead To The Failure Of The Union Dbq

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It is true to say that by the 1850’s the Constitution went from an instrument of unity to a source of tension, and lead to the failure of the union. The Constitution originally helped maintain peace, but when issues over slavery appeared, it failed to provide the guidance the union needed. Because of differing interpretations of the Constitution and the multiple conflicts, it lead to disunion. Because not everyone could agree on what the constitution implied, it led to the failure of the union. Document E states: “The words ‘slaves’ and ‘slavery’ are not to be found in the Constitution, and therefore that it was never intended to give any protection or countenance to the slave system, it is sufficient to reply.. Other words were used intelligently …show more content…

By law of Congress September 1850 it is a high crime..to resist the reenslaving a man on the coast of America… What kind of Constitution which covers it?” Emerson believes that if you follow the Constitutions immoral laws, it is suicidal. The law is getting tangled up within itself, which ultimately leads to its destruction. This document is trustworthy because it is from Emerson’s own address. Knowing Emerson as a transcendentalist, these ideas fit with his views. If you don’t agree with something in the government, don’t follow it. Another big controversy was the Confederacy, and what the Constitution had to say about it. Document G says: “Has the constitution delegated to Congress the power to coerce a State into submission which is attempting to withdraw or has actually withdrawn from the Confederacy? ..I have arrived at the conclusion that no such power has been delegated to Congress..” James Buchanan is showing strict constructionist views, and he’s saying that since the Constitution doesn't say Congress can force a State into submission, that the states are free to leave. Abraham Lincoln speaks from a slightly different perspective in Document I: “Our States have

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DBQ: Political Disputes 1820-1860 For forty-four years, the United States of America was a thriving country. We had won our independence from Great Britain and we had started to create a country that would change the world. Yet, in the year 1860, a joined country and political agreement between all states seemed utterly impossible. People fought with each other so deeply about slavery, the country was divided between slave and free states. By the time of 1820 through 1860, political disagreement grew so large, there had been only one answer.

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“The lack of… nationality, I believe, is one of the great evils of the times…” Senator John Sherman stated on February 10, 1863. The United States had been split into sections from the beginning, and it created a lack of unity and togetherness. In Document A, the reader can acquire from the reading that South Carolina (and later many other states) seceded from the Union because of states’ rights. Document A states that an amendment (specifically the

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The United States Constitution is one of most know historical document in the whole history of the United States. However when the constitution was made was it truly made to help build a better union, or really just a certain group of people? The United States Constitution was hypocritical at the time it was written, because it did not establish Justice for the workers because the government never paid back the bonds they promised, it did not help form a better union by making farmers pay in currency, and for sure did not secure the blessings of liberty for slaves or their posterity. The United States Constitution was hypocritical on the fact that it did not establish Justice to the workers of America when it was made. The workers of America had fought in the Revolutionary War for a government they believed in.

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The award-winning 2011 book titled Lincoln and The Triumph of Nations by author Mark E. Neely Jr. is an insightful piece of literature that seeks to explore the constitutional wartime experiences of both the Union and the Confederacy alike. The author also depicts the constitutional dilemmas that President Lincoln was presented with throughout the American Civil War. In addition to the wartime experiences of both the Union and Confederacy, the issue of slavery, and the struggle for central power, Neely puts into play a nationalistic interpretation of Civil War constitutionalism in the United States. Neely’s argument seeks to help the reader understand how the intricacies of constitutionalism helped create and fuel the ideas of American nationalism

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The 19th century was among the most chaotic century of American History. Significant changes that took place throughout these years have affected the United States for ages. Since the drafting of the Constitution in 1787, the north and the south had grown further apart in terms of ideologies. Fears amongst both groups were realized when the expansion of slavery into western territories entered Congressional debates. Thus, slavery became a driving force in most political controversies such as the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and Bleeding Kansas.

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In the time period of 1860 to 1877, the social and constitutional developments caused a revolutionary change to the social structure of the South, but more so to the constitution. The fight for constitutional amendments became very important to the federal government after the civil war and during the reconstruction era. This caused major backlash from many people in the South, and state governments passed laws such as the Black Codes, which restricted black people’s freedom. As the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were passed, terrorist organizations like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) were created to scare african americans away from voting, among other activities. The federal government responded to these retaliations by placing armed forces in the

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In his fiery speech to the Senate, given on March 7, 1850, shortly after the passing of the Compromise of 1850, Senator Daniel Webster expresses his views of secession to Abraham Lincoln, presenting the Compromise of 1850 as a Union-saving measure. The Compromise of 1850 admitted California as a free state, but also enforced a stringent Fugitive Slave Act, which forced runaway slaves to be returned to their masters. Webster’s powerful speech outlines his feelings towards the South and secession, clearly showing that the speaker believed in a united, but also in a way divided, nation. Daniel Websterwas originally a lawyer and later served as a Massachusetts congressman and senator. As a congressman, he strongly opposed the War of 1812, the annexation of Texas, and going to war with Mexico.

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The events that occurred from 1860 to 1877 characterized a period of social and constitutional change in the United States. The secession of Southern States severed the Union, marking the beginning of a Civil War. Although abolitionist movements had been going on for decades, action was finally taken with the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, to the dissent of the slave labor driven South. New amendments were added to the Constitution granting universal male suffrage and equal protection to all citizens under the law, a sudden and significant lurch forward in the realm of civil rights. However, some changes were more revolutionary and successful than others.

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America’s founders created the constitution in order to create unification and order in the United States. However, there have been controversy surrounding the interpretation of the constitution, this has caused debate over many issues within the country. These issues and the lack of wartime policy within the constitution directly lead to the Civil War, which was one of the worst alterations this nation has faced. The Missouri compromise, the Dred Scott decision, and Bleeding Kansas were controversial issues surrounding the constitution that directly lead to the Civil War.

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Contrary to popular belief, the United States has two constitutions: the Articles of Confederation and the present day constitution. So, what happened to the Articles of Confederation? The Articles of Confederation failed for many reasons: the reluctancy of the individual states to surrender their powers to a national government, the impotence of Congress to tax the colonies in order to pay off war debts or pay veterans of the American Revolution, the inability to back up the currency coined by Congress, the institution of multiple currency as states began to coin their own money, and the lack of power to regulate trade and commerce among the states or foreign nations. In addition, the Articles of Confederation limited the executive and judicial

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Another issue was whether the constitution protected slave or if they were counted as a person, if so the constitution would needed to abide by all the states since it was the supreme law of the

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The Constitution was made to be the document that would bring together the states to form a Union but as time went on, it was obvious there were many things separating the North and the South. The Constitution did do its job in helping to keep the Union together for a time but as a series of growing conflicts began to arise in the 1850s, it encouraged a growing split between the two and brought to light that it wasn't just the Constitution that was causing waves. The Constitution did become the source of sectional discord and tension that ultimately led to the failure of the Union. It was a prevalent ideal in the North that the ocuntry was an indissovable Union. When the Constitution was made, the points written were more conerning the breaking

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Two fundamental questions normally surround the history of any war: whether the war was inevitable and if it was necessary. These same questions emerge any time during debates regarding the American Civil war. The most cited cause of the Civil war is the secession of certain southern states that formed the Confederate States of America in January 1861. Thomas Bonner writes "Civil War Historians and the "Needless War" Doctrine" arguing that Southern Carolina seceded in 1860, followed by six other states by January the following year. A deep analysis of the events leading to the war indicates that the Union and the Confederates had profound ideological, economic, political, and social differences.

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Slavery in the U.S. Constitution After the Unites States declared Independence from Great Britain in 1776, they greatly feared a strong national government that would be like a monarchy like the one Great Britain had. To prevent this tyrannical government from happening in the U.S., a convention of delegates from all thirteen states were brought together to create the U.S.’s first written constitution: the Articles of Confederation. This convention was called the Continental Congress. The Articles of Confederation focused on having a federal government, or a loose alliance of the states.

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However there is no doubt that there are still problems associated with it. It never explicitly addresses the rights of all the people including slaves, or of women. It’s problematic that the constitution is so highly regarded and followed even when these groups of people are left out, due to the fact that it divides the society by race and sex, and if you were apart of the persecution, it was because you were seen to be inferior, and should not have the same rights of white men. All throughout history we have become keenly familiar with some of the costs of this problem such as how african americans have been persecuted for generations even after the end of slavery. Women weren’t treated any better when you look at how they couldn’t vote until the 1930’s.

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