Slavery Ethos Pathos Logos

After the American Revolution, slavery grew into a coherent, national system. The new nation accepted and supported its presence. The Constitution explained how the federal government was to be set up and operate, but the protection of health, safety, and morals were left up to the individual states to decide. Each state was to draft its own constitution, in which it could decide whether it wanted to allow slavery within its its borders. Various abolitionists prepared editorials in hopes of bringing the issue of slavery to the forefront of public discourse. America has always been a pluralistic nation, comprised of various backgrounds and ideologies that often conflict with one another. At any point in our history, when one idea seems to

While these two men had very different strategies for accomplishing the same goal, with Douglass sharing true life stories of his time as a slave and Turner leading a deadly slave revolt that ultimately got him executed, the actions of these men and many more are responsible for giving slavery a place on the senate floor. Douglass did not condone violence. He believed in connecting with his fellow Americans so that they might empathize with him. By appealing to their humanity, Douglass hoped that slaves would be seen as people, rather than property, and that this would sway public opinion towards setting them free. However, the North would never have been able to industrialize without the slave-based economy of the South since cotton textiles were the most important commodity in world trade by the 19th century. For the states to embrace a slave-free economy would require an immense overhaul of this

Fortunately, Article V of the constitution established procedures for amending the document in the face of such a predicament. This gives the “supreme law of the land” a way of molding to fit the new demands of its people. One of the most historic examples of this happening was with the ratification of the 13th amendment in 1865, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. This was in accordance with :president Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order to free all slaves in both the North and South during the Civil War. “That on the 1st day of January, A.D. 1863, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free” (Lincoln 171-72).

These words captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of Americans, and fundamentally transformed the character of the Civil War. This document became a milestone along the path to end slavery. President Lincoln’s decision to end slavery was influenced by a century of debate and influence from public figures like Douglass, Thoreau, and numerous politicians who were committed