Slavery During The United States

Cotton was the king of the South. It was bringing in large amounts of money as the textile industry in the North grew. Slavery was vital to the economic well-being of the South, and when the North began to question the “peculiar institution” of the South the wall of civility between the two sectionalized areas began to crumble. Due to the growing issue of slavery in the 1850s, the United States of America was in a state of total disarray and turmoil. The tension that had always existed between the North and South over the matter of slavery was no longer ignorable. As the United States expanded to the West, the status of slavery in the new states erupted in a violence that could no longer be controlled by sectionalism. The peace treaties that had worked in the past became Band-Aids over stab wounds. Southern states began to leave the United States of America to form the Confederate States of America and war was declared as the South fired onto the forts of the North. The Civil War was caused directly by the issue of slavery; the fugitive slave act in the Compromise of 1850, Dred Scott v. Sandford, and Bleeding Kansas prove that slavery was the key factor in the eruption of the nation.

Throughout the 1800s in America, slavery was a controversy between the north and the south. A Slave was one who was the property of another human being under law and was forced to obey them. The North felt that slavery was unfair and inhumane, whereas in the South, they felt as though slavery was crucial to their success. African American slaves were not allowed many rights: they were not allowed to testify in court against a white person, could not receive an education, or even sign contracts. Due to the brutality they faced each day, many slaves escaped with hopes to find freedom. The Underground Railroad, a system utilized by many runaway slaves to help them escape from the South to Canada, played a large role in the downfall of slavery and eventual abolition in the United States following the Civil War.

Throughout American history slave has resist their master, the system and the idea of slavery. These resistance has became of a key stone in the history of slavery. To understand what these resistance is, we will look at incident of the past to analyze how slave in the past resisted their master, the system and the idea of slavery.

The Civil War, occurring between the years 1861 and 1865, was a devastating effect of sectionalism caused by the division of the country on the topic of slavery. Slavery impacted every aspect of the country, whether in the North or the South, though primarily in the South; major impacts were in the politics and economy of the early country ways which inevitably caused the Civil War.

Slavery was a very divided issue in early American history. It was the backbone of the southern economy and lifestyle, but also a immoral way to treat people that was contradictory to ideals which America liberated itself upon. Slavery continued to expand because of new economic growth, but many slaves were also freed from their bondage during this time because of religion and the new ideologies that America gained in becoming a country. Most slaves responded to these hardships hardship through active and passive resistance, whereas free African Americans became more outspoken and formed communities in response.

Slavery is a system in which human beings can be owned by other people and are treated effectively like property in the eyes of the law. Slavery was introduced to the colonies in 1619, at Jamestown, Virginia, where unskilled workers were needed to farm tobacco (“Slavery(Issue)”) . The South needed slaves more due them having a more agricultural lifestyle. However, the North, which was based upon manufacturing and trading and basically no slaves by the time of the Constitution. During that time, indentured servants were more popular due to less expense and danger than the slaves. However, after the invention of Eli Whitney’s cotton gin, which established cotton as a lucrative

2. The development of a national railroad system was hampered by which of the following?

Slavery was introduced to America in the 1620s and was not abolished until 1865, lasting over 240 years. Before the civil war in 1861 which was fought by the Northern and Southern states, slavery was extremely popular and supported by much of America’s white population. Due to the fact that slavery was supplying cotton and other marketable materials that were significantly beneficial to the economy, people often forgot or chose to ignore the barbarous and inhumane conditions that slaves had to endure everyday of their lives. People believed so strongly in this diabolical institution that they would say or do anything to convince others that this practice was perfectly just. Three examples of people who demonstrate this would be Richard H. Colfax, William John Grayson, and George W. Freeman. These slavery defenders used several appeals and arguments to persuade people into believing that slavery was beneficial to all, including the slaves themselves. These claims were dauntlessly refuted by escaped slave and open abolitionist Frederick Douglass who wrote about his life and the vivid accounts proving how slavery truly was; his autobiography, the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave, proves that the arguments of the slavery supporters were completely irrational.

While slavery was a horrific thing that led to the mistreatment of millions of black people, it had the power to last for centuries. When looking closely at historical accounts it becomes easier to see why this horrible practice was able to sustain for so long. One of the reasons was because the economy of Colonial America relied heavily on the labor of slaves. Farming, the slave trade itself, and the harsh treatment of slaves were all driven by the greed of slave owners. Another reason that slavery lasted so long was racism. During this time, the black population was considered inferior to the white population. This helped to promote the cruel behaviors that occurred in slavery. Lastly, many whites actually felt that the slaves were treated

Ranging from a necessary evil to a positive good, the perception of slavery proved to be a polarizing issue. Many northern citizens were indifferent to the idea of slavery, while southern plantation owners relied on slavery to support their economies. After the Second Great Awakening, the abolition movement was introduced and opposition to slavery began to receive attention. Due to political ideals, acquisition of new American territories, and religious influences, opposition to slavery grew rapidly in the United States from 1776 to 1852.

Slavery dates back to as early as 1760 BC. It is defined as the condition of a slave; in bondage. A slave is a person who is the property of and wholly subject to another; a bond servant. It fiendishly raised its repugnant head amongst many cultures and nations around the world. Many people viewed slavery as immoral and some viewed it as a necessary evil. However evil, it may have been, it did have a tremendous impact on shaping the United States, particularly the South. From the period of 1800 to 1865 the institution of slavery shaped the politics, cultural atmosphere, social conditions, and had the biggest impact on the southern economy.

Slavery in the United Sates ended in the nineteenth century due to the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln. Sadly, that was only the end of legal slavery. Today a modern form a slavery still continues not only in the United Sates but other countries as well. Some forms of modern slavery are human trafficking, forced marriage, and forced labor. According to Employee Relations Law Journal “slavery is where ownership is exercised over a person, where individuals are coerced into providing their services or do so under threat of a penalty.”(Whincup, Garbett, & McNicholas Spring 2014 65)

Throughout history, theologians and authors have discussed the issue of slavery all over the world. In early America, we can see authors, and preachers, condemning the act and we can see the people silencing them because of not wanting to change their ways. Both Crévecoeur and Jefferson try to invoke rage against slavery, but neither was very effective. Crévecoeur used rhetoric efficiently in his letters, but did not make a dent in society. Meanwhile, Jefferson strived to speak out against slavery, but people silenced him.

A slave is a man, woman or child who is the lawful property of another person and is compelled to obey them. Slavery is the system of possessing slaves, which could be either one slave or many. Slavery in the United States officially began with the trans-Atlantic slave trade, it also began during this period in a lot of other countries. The slaves were treated inhumanelyfor several years;it was abolished in the United States on December 6,1865 and abolished in many nations. However, it still continues until today. The slavery which was started during the Atlantic Slave Trade still exist today but holds a different form, trafficking, forced labour, and child slavery.

Land, labor and capital become important when economically developing a country. In the attempt to develop America, African Americans and minorities have suffered greatly in finding their identity within their history and equality among those who have discovered their individualities. Slaves were usually Africans who were forced into North and South America. Slaves were built into the constitution and then creating the history of the United States of America. For example, there are three main clauses in the US constitution that pertain to race, which include the three-fifths clause Art. I Sec 2.3, importation clause Art 1 Sec 9.1(how to tax slave trade).