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Slavery: A World History
History of slavery in the south and north
Cause and effect of slavery
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Slavery: A World History
History of slavery in the south and north
Cause and effect of slavery
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
I would think using the word “racist” when discussing the events from the 1860s and the Civil War would be appropriate. Quite frankly, there is almost no way not to use it, It was a major contradicting issue back then. How could someone state, “God himself has made them usefulness as slaves, and requires us to employ them as such,” and “Our Heavenly Father has made us to rule, and the Negroes to serve,” (Pictures of Slavery and Anti-Slavery: Advantages of Negro Slavery and the Benefits of Negro Freedom Morally, Socially, and Politically by John Bell Robinson) and it not be considered racist. This is a prime example of someone judging and stereotyping a human being just because their skin is a different color.
Northern and Southern opinions on slavery differed greatly and caused a major divide. While the South fully supported slavery, the Northern citizens were abolitionists set on dissolving the act. Northern Whigs were major abolitionists before and during the Civil War. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 forced all African-Americans in the US to become slaves if they were found by any slave owner, even if he was not their own. This law applied to the entirety of the country, thus making free African-Americans subject to slavery and inhibiting the Whigs from legally protecting any remaining Northern African-Americans (Document M).
Indentured servants, were by all accounts, the main source of labor in the seventeenth century. The labor force was mainly needed for the newly discovery of the cash crop that was tobacco. It was a plant that need a lot of man power to be harvested and transported to port to be shipped back to England. “At first they turned to their overpopulated country for labor, but English indentured servants brought with them the same haphazard habits of work as their masters.” Indentured service being described as haphazard is an understatement; uprising.
Slavery was a big part of our nation’s history. The North and the South had different opinions of slavery which led to the Civil War. The first arrival of slaves was in 1619. A Dutch ship brought twenty Africans to Virginia and they were sold. It spread to the thirteen colonies and, by 1776, almost 600,000 slaves lived in our country.
The founders still allowed slavery to happen during the American Revolution. The founders were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton. They had a variety of personal beliefs regarding different political and social problems during the Revolution. The founders believed in deism which started to develop during the Enlightenment, and the founders became influenced by deism since it changed their mindsets on different issues. In addition, they believed that everyone was created equal and deserved the natural rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
In the post-Civil War South, the economic situation that followed the emancipation of slaves and therefore the loss of the labor force, forced the South to find a suitable replacement for slavery. This also meant enacting laws designed to keep former slaves tied to the land. The economic system, which replaced slavery, was sharecropping. To keep the former slaves tied to the land, however, laws such as the black codes ensured a steady stream of workers to harvest the crops. Furthermore, vagrancy laws, which were designed to punish vagrants by making them harvest crop for a plantation owner, were passed.
On February 1, 1895 President Abraham Lincoln approved the 13th amendment to the U.S Constitution which abolishes slavery. This celebrated as National Freedom Day. How would your life be different if you were not free? If I wasn’t free I will not be able to do what I will want to do.
According to the article, “Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania” (1790), the Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery was passed on March 1, 1780. It was the first attempts to begin abolishing slavery. The given act forbidden further imported slaves into states and required slaveholders to regularly register slaves to establish any children born in Pennsylvania “free persons” regarding the specific conditions. Stated in the passage, African-Americans were able to vote but many whites preventing most. Unfortunately, they were unable to use their voting rights because whites did not allow it to happen.
America was no longer a society with slaves, but especially in areas of the deep south, had become a slave society. Paternalistic value embedded in the deep south slave society culture was arguably the cherry on the cake of an unattainable compromise. Americans referred to the abolition of slavery as unconstitutional, necessary to life and permanent. This thought is expanded upon by David Wilmot as he argues, “I ask not that slavery be abolished. I demand that this Government preserve the integrity of free territory against the aggressions of slavery against its wrongful usurpations”
Tensions rose across the country from those in support support of slavery and those opposed. Many states wanted to outlaw slavery while others adamantly defended it because it was the main institution with a high and consistent revenue. Ultimately, the disagreements over slavery are what lead to the Civil War. The country divided into an “Us versus Them” situation which lead to both sides having growing support for their views and making the groups less susceptible to an agreement. In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which freed slaves from confederate states.
The Southern and Northern states differentiate on many issues, which ultimately led them towards a Civil War. There stood deep social, economic, and political disparities between the North and the South. These modifications stemmed from the understanding of the United States Constitution on both sides. In the end, most of these disputes about the rights of states directed to the Civil War. There existed reasons other than slavery on behalf of the South 's breakaway.
Throughout United States History, there have been many situations that have limited civil rights. Some of these actions were the Espionage and Sedition Acts, the Executive Order 9066, and the passage of the USA Patriot Act. These actions were very controversial at the time and caused a lot of commotion between Americans and officials. Some people did not agree with them changing our civil liberties and were upset about it while others were fine with them changing our rights.
I am happy to hear that you and William are finally settled in your new home. I am however, saddened to hear of the discord between William and his father, and how it has upset your household. I can understand Willian’s frustration. There was a time Benjamin Franklin demonstrated allegiance to the British crown. When the French and Indian War broke out, Franklin was able to secure horses, wagons, and supplies for the British General Edward Braddock by pledging his own credit to the Pennsylvania farmers, who then agreed to provide the necessary equipment.
Slaveholders, through their power and control, become morally degraded, leading to the exploitation and mistreatment of enslaved individuals for economic gain, justifying their actions through ideologies of white supremacy and paternalism. The rationalization of oppression can lead to a distortion of morality and empathy, enabling individuals to continue acts of cruelty while maintaining a facade of righteousness. The author reads, “The motto I adopted when I started slavery was this--"Trust no man!" I saw in every white man an enemy, and in almost every colored man cause for distrust. It was a most painful situation; and, to understand it, one must experience it, or imagine himself in similar circumstances.”
Background: To understand the history of slavery in the United States the historical background needs examining. How did the slaves get from Africa the new country? Why were the people brought here? What purpose did slavery serve?