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Summary Of How The Civil War Changed The Constitution By Paul Finkelman

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In Paul Finkelman’s article “How the Civil War Changed the Constitution” shows how the Civil War affected the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendment. One of the main reasons for the Civil War was slavery. The constitution however, did not use the word slavery in their constitution. I found that to be very interesting because its almost like Americans were ashamed of their behavior. Why were the Northern’s more against using the word slavery than southerners? It could not just be based on ratification alone? They probably most likely feared their own death because the word slavery became a negative connotation. For example, during that time many African American’s were called “Niggers,” and we no longer use that word because it a derogatory term.
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The Civil War. Louis P. Masur’s book, The civil War: a Concise History, Is a book that gives an overview of the civil war from 18 to 1800, Providing multiple causes an consequences that emerged from the war. The book begins by reviewing the origins of the war. Chapter one covers the issues between northern and southern states and the tension over right and slave possession. The tension created a conflict that raised a number of political, social, and military events that then proceeded into a battle to abolish slavery from the colonies.

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When the Constitution was created to establish national unity, the makers did not outline the subject that would plague a source of discord between the North and South, slavery. Whereas, the Constitution under loose and strict interpretations manifested the divide between the union and confederacy. In consideration to the South heavily relying on “Cotton King,” as their source of income, slavery had become relied upon within their society, and they were unwilling to relinquish their labor force. This eventually brought the South into a defensive stance over “slave labor” as the North began to visibly oppose the injustice after Uncle Tom’s Cabin became a phenomena throughout the North and abroad depicting slave life. Therefore, the tension

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There were still a lot of people for slavery. With America still, a new country the government wasn’t easily going to give in on this issue, they would lose a lot of support and it would divide the country. But people where still coming forward with how wrong and immoral slavery was. These are two documents that were written in hopes

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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..

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One of the causes leading to the Civil War was Slavery in the United States of America which was without a doubt allowed in the South, although on the other hand forbidden in the North. Having slaves was a big issue between the North and South because the United States was said to be “free” and to have “freedom” but is against the idea of everybody being treated the same. According to Document K, a man named Charles Sumner was an abolitionist from the Northern state of Massachusetts. Sumner didn’t like the idea of blacks being treated worse than whites and allegedly attacked pro-slavery men described as “hirelings from the drunken spew and vomit from an uneasy civilization.” (Doc K This distinctly shows that Northerners were introduced to the idea of the

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The law came from angry members of the Whig Party - that later formed the republican party - its members saw the pro-slavery nature in the Polk administration, and wanted to put an end to it. Although the law was not passed after its second round in the Senate, it proved to the South that the North was not messing around when it came to getting rid of - or at the very least preventing - slavery. The next form of northerners rebelling against slavery came from the Personal Liberty Laws. These laws were enacted by Northern states to counteract the first Fugitive Slave Act by granting rights to escaped slaves and free blacks. Regardless of the fact that this was countered with another Fugitive Slave Act, as well as the congress ruling, it showed that the North would do anything possible to prevent slavery from spreading to their states.

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If a southerner wants to get a slave all they have to is get a certificate from a southern judge saying that it is his or her slave. The northerners were outraged because slavery was outlawed in the north so they didn't want to be a part of it. Many of the northerners were abolitionists. An abolitionist is

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Throughout the course of the Civil War, Southerner’s felt as if the North was impending upon state’s rights and their way of life, which was based on slavery, was put at risk by the Union . At different points in the war, Southerners felt that the Union posed a bigger threat than before, especially after Abraham Lincoln gave the Emancipation Proclamation speech. The Civil War was not only fought by free Americans, but as times changed, enslaved people also took up arms alongside the Union and fought the Confederacy. The inevitable Civil War resulted in the South’s demise and them rejoining the Union. When the Southern States began to secede, they felt as if the Union and Northern Democratic party we’re threatening the lifestyle they had grown so used to.

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During the Reconstruction Era, the South found loopholes in the legislature passed by the north that worked in their favor and complicated people's views on Reconstruction. For example, Sharecropping put black field workers into an endless circle of debt, essentially making them slaves again (Document D). The 13th amendment outlawed slavery, but Sharecropping was just a little sneaky idea that white plantation owners uses to get their labour back. Things like the grandfather clause, poll taxes, and the literacy test prevented blacks from being able to vote, a right guaranteed in the 15th amendment (Document H). These things were directed at blacks, and were rarely given to whites, and were only legal because there were no laws against them.

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In Document C, William Lloyd Garrison discusses how the words “slavery” and “slaves” are not found in the Constitution. The Constitution is not in favor of slavery and does not tolerate slavery being said or used. This is because the Constitution is built on liberty and freedom. In addition, slaves are being trafficked as merchandise and goods rather than humans (Document C) which goes against liberty and freedom in the constitution. African-American were still considered slaves and were treated like mechanized objects instead of humans beings.

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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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The books that are being compared and contrasted are both about The Civil War and what these soldiers went through. Each book has a few differences that separate them. The books are based on the same time period so they are going to have a lot in common. The books describe what both characters had to go through during the war. The differences in the book will show you how each soldier went through the war differently and the similarity’s will show you how it was for most of the soldiers in the Civil War.

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The civil war, which started in 1861, was the turning point in American history. Similar to the American Revolution, less than 100 years prior, the civil war brought upon a change that would ultimately shape the nation. Although many issues played a role in the division of the nation, slavery became the pioneer. As a result of the northern state being victorious in this war, slavery was now abolished. Slavery being abolished then left many questions that would have to be addressed during the reconstruction of the union.

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