Does Webster Seem To Agree With Slavery

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1. Does Webster seem to agree with slavery? Does Webster defend the beliefs of slave-owners? Explain using a quote as evidence.
Webster does not agree with slavery. While stating the opinions of both the North and the South, in regards to slavery, he clearly favors the opinions of the North. He states, “There are thousands of religious men, with consciences as tender as any of their brethren at the North, who do not see the unlawfulness of slavery”, showing that he is not in favor of the idea, and thinks of it as an unlawful action. Webster does attempt to defend the beliefs of Southern slave-owners by saying that it has been implemented in their society for some time that they are used to it. He states, “the South, upon the other side, having been accustomed to this relation between two races all their lives, from their birth, having been taught, in general, to treat the subjects of this bondage with care and kindness”.
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Webster mentions John C. Calhoun’s statement regarding the divisions between the members of the Methodist Episcopal church regarding slavery. Why does he do this? What message is he attempting to portray?
Webster mentions the separation of the Methodist Episcopal church as a metaphor for South Carolina’s threat to separate from the union. Through this metaphor he is attempting to portray that the state’s separation is not in the best interests of anyone. Webster states, “I have never yet been able to come to the conclusion that there was any real ground for that separation; in other words, that any good could be produced by that separation”. This shows that he thinks such a division is