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The Impact Of Slavery On Political, Social, And Economic Division In The United States

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Slavery Essay
The institution of slavery had a significant impact on the political, social, and economic division between the Northern and Southern regions of the United States between the years 1787 to 1861, ultimately leading to the Constitutional crisis of secession and the Civil War. This essay will demonstrate how the practice of slavery was not only a moral issue but also a deeply divisive issue that created tension between the North and the South.
Politically, the institution of slavery was a contentious issue from the founding of the United States. The debate over the expansion of slavery into new territories and states created deep divisions between the North and South. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 and …show more content…

As the article "Liberty is Land and Slaves" highlights, slavery was deeply ingrained in the fabric of Southern society, shaping not only the region's economic and political structures but also its social norms and values. In contrast, the North, whose society was founded on the principles of individual liberty and equality, viewed slavery as a moral wrong that needed to be eradicated. This fundamental difference in values and beliefs created a deep chasm between the two regions, one that was further fueled by the issue of race. The South's belief in white supremacy and the justification of slavery through racist ideology only served to heighten the social …show more content…

One major cultural difference was further exacerbated by the debate over states' rights versus federal power, with the South advocating for more state autonomy and the North supporting a stronger federal government. These political differences came to a head with the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, with many Southern states seceding from the Union in response to his victory. The resulting Civil War was fought over not only the issue of slavery but also the larger question of the relationship between the federal government and the

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Among them was slavery, state rights, and political matters. These conflicting views on major issues created significant events in history that tore the country apart. Many events dividing the north and the south on numerous controversial issues led up to the south seceding and ultimately The Civil War. (HistoryNet) Before all of this took commence, Tensions were on the rise between the north and the south over the spread of slavery. As America acquired more and more territories after the Mexican

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As the United States moved west during its Westward expansion, it prevented the south from making the states above that line to become a slave state. Because of this the Compromise of 1850 was made so that certain states would be determined to be a slave state or not. In addition to this conflict, problems in Kansas and Nebraska sparked an internal territorial problem in these states. For example in Kansas there were battles over territories which either allowed slavery or opposed it. This caused the Kansas-Nebraska act to be

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The core of the conflict that divided America culturally, politically, and economically was the westward expansion of slavery. A few people wanted to eliminate slavery, while others wanted to expand slavery throughout the nation. The strong opposing sides caused a movement towards a Civil War among the free states and the slave states. Many believed that slavery was the only way the nation would succeed.

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Before the American Civil War, we struggled with the concept of slavery based on our economic and moral differences. People who lived in the North believed that slavery should be abolished since they did not grow crops that needed an abundance of slaves. Moreover, they thought that slaves should be treated like all human beings based on the constitution. On the other side, Americans who lived in the South thought slavery should not be abolished as their crops demanded twice as much work than the ones in the North; therefore, they needed much more workers working in their field and that’s where slaves came into view. They also thought that Africans were inferior because of their skin color and origin.

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Both sections were fighting over representational issues within the government. Each wanted power to pass laws that would benefit them and their interests. Since more and more territories were becoming states, becoming a “free” or “slave” state meant more support and votes in the Electoral College, the Senate and the House for the region they would become part of. Due to this, more competition and tension started growing between them. What ultimately sealed the start of the division, what literally drew the line, was the Missouri Compromise.

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These differences led to political conflicts including the Missouri Compromise and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. These conflicts peaked in the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, who opposed the expansion of slavery. The election eventually led to several southern states seceding from the Union and forming the Confederate States of America in 1861 which ultimately led to the outbreak of the Civil War. Battle of Gettysburg

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After the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and the rise of the Republican party, Southerners feared the tipping of the balance of political power against them; their need for self-determination parallel the colonists’ belief of rebelling against the oppressive government of Great Britain. However, the Civil War represented something more: the clash of the feudalistic, agrarian South with the industrialized, capitalistic North. These two powers differed socially, politically, and economically, and were especially conflicted over slavery. These two sections of the United States were divided against one another, and could not survive this way. Therefore, it is more accurate to state that though the Civil War resembled some aspects of the American Revolution, it was a clash between two forces who could not exist with one another in their current state, leading inevitably to conflict between the

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Although the issue of slavery in America would not be resolved until after the Civil War, the Mexican-American War marked a major turning point in the debate over slavery because it introduced the idea of popular sovereignty which resulted in Bleeding Kansas, and because the terms of the results of the war led to the Compromise of 1850, which was very controversial in the North. Prior to the Mexican-American War, slavery was an intensely debated subject in America. The Northern states were opposed to the practice of slavery, or at least the expansion of it, while the Southern states’ economy relied on slavery, and were supportive of it. The relationship between the North and the South was stable at the start of the 1800’s, but rapidly deteriorated over their conflicting views on slavery. In order to keep a balance of power, the Union consisted of an equal number of free and slave states.

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Slavery Was The Main Cause Of The American Civil War

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Slavery was a problem that caused more and more tension in the United States and for which the country made the most efforts to find a solution. (Hall 163) Due to sectionalism and the separation of states that resulted, problems between free and slave states were caused, and the Missouri Compromise became a point of contention. The Northern states desired to eliminate slavery and were concerned that slavery would give the South more political influence. With the Missouri Compromise, sectional tension between the Northern and Southern states increased.

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Ideas of race and slavery are building blocks of American society. Slavery, particularly in the Southern states, were a huge factor of the economy. Relations changed throughout American history though, as new concepts came about, as well as new economic breakthroughs and improvements. In this essay, I will be discussing changes in American society involving views of coloured people and slavery beginning in 1785 and ending in 1817. The earliest document, a letter from Thomas Jefferson to his friends in Europe in 1785, speaks mainly of the native people, and how they are inferior to whites, though eventually could become equal.

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Jeesoo Shin 9/13/2015 Slavery in American History The narrator starts off with describing the bustling scene of Elmina a city South of Ghana, questionably stating that he would rather prefer Elmina as a desolated wasteland than a market capital probably hinting that Elmina, which was once a slave trading site should not experience the economic prosperity and glory that it has but instead be a place of descent. The prosperity of Elmina in the present day cannot be looked upon with pride as it was built up through the Portuguese who brought their superior culture such as technology and literature while participating in the slave trade along with the Dutch West India Company and the local African slave traders however, the narrator is appalled and infuriated that the Elmina she came back to had rather been prospering from such a dark history; thus making the locals ignorant to the cruelness of the Atlantic Slave Trade. As the narrator surveys Elmina it shows that she is spiteful of everything related to the matter of “black life,” bringing up the eminent racism that presides in America, stating that an old man asked, “Is it negro or nigra?”(Hartman, 56) which is a question that comes from ignorance towards the subject of racism.

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Slavery involves a lot of factors as to why it exists, it exists because mankind is greedy and is out for money and if that means that you have to put others down then that will happen. Different opinions on this matter exist and whether they are right or wrong is not in my hands. The difference in education, fear and economy between the North and South will be involved in the topic. However the resistance to the anti-slavery campaign, led by Lincoln, is one that was not because of an ideological opposition but rather an economic ploy. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “America has a free government where every man has a right to be equal with every other man”, but that was not the case before the Civil War.

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