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The Missouri Compromise And The Dred Scott Case Decision

551 Words3 Pages

The Union not able to come up with a practical agreement to settle the moral dilemma of slavery. Each side was so set in their way of thinking that they were unwilling to recognize the “other point of view”. A silent era concerning slavery was going out of date and the tensions rose with expansion westward. As a time of silence concerning slavery was ending, tensions were skyrocketing. The Missouri Compromise, Kansas-Nebraska Act (commonly referred to as bleeding Kansas), and the Dred Scott Case decision fueled strong emotions on both sides of the slavery issue. Even when opportunities of compromise were presented, each side spun the decision as a justification for their viewpoints. For example, after the Missouri Compromise was repealed and the Kansas-Nebraska Act gave each state popular sovereignty, …show more content…

The stubborn southerners viewed the repeal of the compromise as a huge win and both sides felt the urgency to rapidly establish their voters in the affected states. The Dred Scott Case decision to return the slave to his rightful owners was the final straw for the abolitionists. Now, any African-Americans born free or emancipated were at risk for being taken back into slavery without reason or proof. Ultimately the differences in viewpoint came down to property (therefore money), economy, and social hierarchy. Many people believe that the “love of money” or greed is the root of much of the evil in this world. The northern Abolitionists were extremely outspoken about the unfairness and cruelty of slavery, engineered the underground railroad, and were unwilling to try to understand the possible losses of property for the southern landowners if slavery was simply extinguished without compensation. On the other hand, the southern

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