The Expansion Of Slavery In The West
Much of the disagreement between the north and south was caused by the status of slavery, particularly what would happen in expansion states. The northern states wanted to eliminate slavery from new states, and ideally they wanted no slavery in the country in general. On the other hand, southern states believed that slavery should expand with the country. For example, a man from Georgia argued that new territory should be able to have the choice as to whether or not they will have slavery. But the north, however, “insists that while the territory was partly acquired by Southern men, is partly owned by Southern men, that they shall be excluded from its soil”(Document B).
Geographically the United States was divided with the North being against slavery and the South supporting slavery. This division in the states had a great affect on the decision making in congress
The Nation grew increasingly divided through the mid-1800’s over the issue of slavery, to the extent that it bled into other issues, primarily as a tensioned pretense to admis-sion of new states to the Union. Presidents prior to Polk either passively or actively re-sisted the annexation of new territories or promoting statehood, recognizing the issue of slavery and probable effects of spreading or denying slavery. The North’s ideological opposition to slavery was equally as legitimate as the South’s reasoning, but with slave labor accounting for up to 50 percent of the population in the South, there was also ac-ceptance on economical basis. Vast new lands became American territory throughout this period, while other disputed lands had boundaries
Slavery has always been a recurring issue throughout the history of the United States. Although he did not consider himself an abolitionist, John Quincy Adams, the second president of the United States, made his anti-slavery sentiment during and after his term in office. Back then, either you supported slavery or you did not. There were many pinnacle moments throughout the United States’ history that fluctuated the necessity of slaves such as economic demand for certain cash crops, inventions that allowed mass production, and mostly importantly, anti-slavery news articles and books. At the top of this peak, was Missouri Compromise, which literally divided the nation into two different ideologies, although many Northerners also were not fond of blacks.
The use of slaves has always been present in the world since the beginning of civilization, although the use and treatment of those slaves has differed widely through time and geographic location. Different geographies call for different types of work ranging from labor-intensive sugar cultivation and production in the tropics to household help in less agriculturally intensive areas. In addition to time and space, the mindsets and beliefs of the people in those areas affect how the slaves will be treated and how “human” those slaves will be perceived to be. In the Early Modern Era, the two main locations where slaves were used most extensively were the European dominated Americas and the Muslim Empires. The American slavery system and the
The North, wanting to limit slavery to the South where it currently existed and eventually abolish the labor system all together, were hesitant to allow the formation of large territories in the Southwest. The South had a fierce ambition to expand slavery into the Southwest, and the concept of Manifest Destiny played right along with their beliefs and motivation to do so. Whenever new territories were added, the North and South would begin a process to decide the fate of the newly established territories, which would lead to many compromises, such as the Missouri Compromise of 1820, The Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. All of these compromises would solve the immediate territorial disputes, but was just delaying the inevitable conflict that would become the Civil
In 1787, Rutledge stated that “the true question is whether the Southern States will or will not be changed to confederate otherwise… the Southern States will not be confederate at all”. This quote shows that the issue of slavery was a significant factor in the formation of the Constitution and that the authors were willing to compromise on the principle of equality to form a cohesive union. It is important to note that the Constitution did not explicitly mention slavery, but it did include clauses that protected the institution. The Three-Fifths Compromise, for example, counted each slaved person as the three-fifths of a person to determine representation in Congress. This compromise gave Southern states more representation in Congress, which allowed them to maintain a balance of power and protect their interests, including the continuation of
During the time of the writing of the constitution, most of the southern colonies were dependent on slave labor to produce cash crops, while primarily northern colonies wished to end slavery. This difference caused contention between the colonies when determining slavery in the constitution. A compromise reached, the constitution did not outright address its stance on slavery when it created the ⅗ clause, determined the importation laws of slaves, and the creation of the fugitive slave clause, the constitution continued to allow slavery in the United States. While the constitution neither promoted nor abolished slavery, the ⅗ clause in the Constitution integrated the counting of slaves as a part of representation in government.
The end result of the Dred Scott decision was Chief Justice Roger Taney 's decision that Congress did not possess the jurisdiction to stop slavery from spreading into other territories, even if they were considered free. Even worse, any free Black could now be allowably forced into slavery. Being forced into slavery was also seen as being beneficial to the free Blacks. Instead of reaching a decision as President Buchanan had hoped, it had started a rapid expansion of the conflict. This rapid expansion over the issue of slavery eventually led to the Civil War.
From 1846 to 1848, the US fought with Mexico, with the goal of taking California and New Mexico. After the US won the war and the land from the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the issue of slavery rose once again. The Wilmot Proviso suggested banning slavery in the acquired territories, some suggested extending the Missouri Compromise lines, while others favored popular sovereignty. The mass amount of differing opinions show how this situation created by the expansion of the US led to intensifying debates. Ultimately, tensions kept building up as sectionalism grew mainly due to slavery, which has become apparent in all the controversies between the North and the South, leading to the Compromise of
Yet, slavery was a huge issue that was not talked about much in the Constitution as each state still seemed very independent at this point, but now slavery was playing a key role in the representation of the congressmen and women. The Northern states believed that slaves should not count towards representation of the states as they were considered “property” of their plantation owners. The south disagreed, and the ⅗ Compromise was formed
From the time of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to the time of the Gadsden Purchase, westward expansion was a fuel to the issue of slavery extension to the West, causing sectionalism to increase between the North and South. Although westward expansion was one of the factors that accelerated sectionalism between the North and the South, other factors such as the imbalance between the states, the gag rule, the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the Compromise of 1850, the tariff of Abomination, popular sovereignty, and many more played their roles in the sectionalism between the North and the South. The more the United States grew and expanded westward, more factors appeared to hinder the growth of slavery, causing the South to threaten to secede from the Union due to their pro-slavery views. Westward expansion was one of the ideas that was thought to bring economic boost, and the very first westward expansion was the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.
However, these differences show that the North and South were actually two distinct countries held together by one constitution. The North felt that decisions regarding slavery and its legality were entrenched in the central government while the South felt that such decision belonged to the individual states. In the times preceding the war, both sides could not reach a compromise. Bonner mentions, “Because secession and war were permitted to come, warned Russel, "We are not entitled to lay the flattering unction to our souls that the Civil War was an inevitable conflict (Bonner, 195).” Hence, these differences could only be addressed through war.
Imagine being an enslaved child in the 1800’s, tending to the animals, cleaning your owners house, and doing many light chores around the plantation. In this essay I will use two documents and my knowledge of slavery to explain the life of a child slave. The first document I chose was “A Slave Family” this document explained the basic education that a slave child received. The document states “Most colonists did not feel that slaves needed a formal education...
Blues could not exist if the African captives had not become American slaves. Without African slaves from West Africa, there would be no blues music. The immediate predecessors of blues were the Afro-American/American Negro work songs, which had their musical origins in West Africa. It is impossible to say how old the blues are but it is certainly no older than the presence of Negros in the United States. The African slaves brought their music with them to the New World.
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