Fugitive Slave Law DBQ Essay

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. Tensions between the north and the south were building up prior to the Civil War as slavery became a heated issue between those two regions. The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 required

After the Fugitive Slave Law was passed, Ralph Waldo Emerson criticized the law in 1851. Document B demonstrates that the Fugitive Slave Law is an act which accepts the crime of kidnapping and murder. Because the right to liberty of a man is nonnegotiable, the man should have a right to life, and since the law does not protect this, it should not be followed by any means (Document B: POV). Emerson’s diction demonstrates allusion to the ten commandments of the Bible, specifically the sixth commandment which states that no one should kill. If you were to disobey one of the ten commandments, you were considered a sinful person that deserved condemnation. This indicates that if anyone abolished the natural rights of any human being–life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness–or violated the ten commandments, it would be unacceptable and the person would deserve condemnation. The law tragically damages and effects the goodwill of people, thus, it should not be followed. The northern region of the United States believed so too and took actions against it. In fact, on April 24 of 1851, a poster was posted in Boston, Massachusetts–a state that was part of the Union–to alert slaves about being caught by the law, such as police officers and

Tensions grew, even more, when The United States Constitution was questioned by William Lloyd Garrison. According to Document C, the government treats the slaves as merchandise, without protection. Therefore, the people should not agree with the Constitution. The Union’s motto is ‘No Union with Slaveholders’ (Document C: POV). Garrison’s diction shows the reader he opposes the United States Constitution because he believes that the Constitution is not giving the slaves protection. Garrison specifically states his position when it comes to slavery. The motto “no Union with slaveholders” depicts that Garrison was part of the Union and did not tolerate slaveholders owning slaves as merchandise. Slavery was a driving force in this controversy because Garrison said this two years prior to the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Tensions arose since the act allowed the states to decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery within their borders and served to repeal the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which prohibited slavery in the north. This Act enraged the Union because there would not be a control over which states would remain slave states or free states. The Confederates on the other hand, preferred the Kansa-Nebraska Act since it was an opportunity to expand slavery throughout the United States. For example, the Republican party platform