Slavery's Role In Shaping America Today

After about four years of fighting, the Civil War finally ended in about 1865. Although the Northern states won, there were many predicaments still unsettled. Even though Abraham Lincoln had freed the slaves in the North, the Confederate States were still getting by with slavery. Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation of Proclamation had a dramatic impact on the lives of African American slaves throughout the United States. As Frederick Douglass says in The Civil War: Opposing Viewpoints, “But read the proclamation for it is the most important of any

Slaves were a big part of history, and later causing the Civil War. The Portuguese began the enslavements of Africans in the fifteenth century, were they brought them to Europe to work as laborers or servants. Tobacco farming began in Virginia, Carolina, and Maryland, but was labor-intensive so they enslaved african americans, who later died from being badly treated, overworked,

During early 19th century, the entrenchment of Southern slavery, there was discussion between planters who benefitted from it and abolitionists who fought against it. Most Americans, especially those in Southern states, understood that slavery system could not help parting from their economic and social system. Southern slavery system brought big economical benefits. However, it negatively influenced American society as a whole rather that positively.

When the Civil War began in 1861, the issue of slavery was not the central focus of the war effort on the side of the Union. While it was still important to many in the North, the main war aim of the Union side was to preserve the Union and make sure it remained intact. As the war dragged on and more soldiers died on both sides, Lincoln realized he would need to entirely cripple the already weak Confederate economy, and he did this by making the Emancipation Proclamation, which became effective January 1, 1863. This executive order stated that all slaves in states currently in open rebellion against the United States were free from slavery. By doing this, he caused African Americans in slave states to cross into Union territory and into

Slavery was a harsh system that consisted of forcing other human beings to work in harsh conditions; as well as restrict their freedom to the point where they had none. Slavery was first introduced into Colonial America in 1619, and lasted for 245 years. During those 245 years, slavery harshly affected those who were involved in its system. The institution of slavery has profoundly influenced and shaped multiple aspects of Colonial America and the United States. Slavery influenced the 13 Colonies and the U.S. by the growth in sales for Cotton, and farming. Slavery shaped Colonial America and the United States culturally, by proving to the slaves that white people were far more superior than African Americans, religion and Cult of Domesticity. Lastly slavery shaped Colonial America and the United States politically by causing rebellions, and abolitionism.

During the period before the civil war the issue of slavery began affecting American politics. Slavery was a topic that was becoming more involved in every part of the politics and moving forward as a country. Slavery became an issue in a variety of topics; creating a new state, did individual freedom won in the revolution include the right to enslave another person, should southern non-slave holders be able to vote, could a law be passed to forbid discussing a specific issue in Federal government, and finally could a State government pass a law to nullify a Federal law? These are all the key questions that American politicians had to answer without causing a civil war show how important the issue of slavery was becoming.

Then on January 1st of the next year Lincoln issued his last Emancipation to free slaves in Southern territories. He also emphasized the enlisting of African-American Soldiers in the U.S. Army. The war to preserve the Union then became a revolutionary struggle for slavery's abolition. The road to official abolition of slavery would only take another four years, but

Abraham Lincoln was challenged with an immense trial throughout his two terms as President of the free world: bringing together the devastated halves of the Union. This stood to be his lone resolution in fighting the Civil War, everything should be just right, never should become excessive. Abraham Lincoln used his skills as a president to win the catastrophic war. Nevertheless, Abe was comfortable enough to conciliate deviations to the war strategy if they would support to accomplish the goal of conserving the Union. On January 1, 1863, Lincoln put out the Emancipation Proclamation, resulting in the elimination of slavery, as well as the protection of the Union in a war objective. Lincoln unconstrained the slaves to deteriorate the Southern

The road to freedom from slavery was a hard and long for the African Americans. In the northern states the Civil War began as a fight against the succession of the Confederate states from the Union. Abraham Lincoln, who was President at this time, wanted to save the nation by bringing the southern states back to the Union, but this "Great Emancipator ironically did not have much intention of freeing the slaves. His greatest interest lies in preventing a war from occurring. However, even he could not stop the outbreak of the Civil War (Fincher).”

The American Civil War was a chaotic and bloody conflict for the United States. While the Civil War was not strictly fought over slavery, it was a central factor. At the outbreak of the war, there were approximately four million slaves in the Union. With Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, those slaves were declared free men. However a large majority of those slaves were located in territory held by the Confederacy, and it was not until the end of the conflict that that these men and women actually saw their freedom. Lincoln had put serious consideration into how to go about ending slavery, but had not fully developed the logistical aspect of what would happen to these men and women after the war. It was not until 1865 that the Union

However, the Emancipation Proclamation did not free all slaves in the United States. It declared that only slaves living in states not under Union control be free. This officially changed the purpose of the Civil War. The North was no longer only fighting to preserve the Union but also to end slavery. The Civil War continued for the next four years, ending on April 9, 1865. Legal freedom for all slaves did not come until the final passage of the Thirteenth Amendment in December of 1865. President Lincoln was a strong supporter of the Thirteenth Amendment; however, he was assassinated before its final presentation.

The film “Slavery and The Making Of America” covered the beginning of American slavery in the British colonies until the end of slavery in the southern states and post-civil war reconstruction. This film shows viewers remarkable stories of individual slaves, providing new perspectives on how unjust the slaves experiences were, and besides all the trouble they were facing still having to survive and shape their own lives. The British colonies in North America had an abundance of land and a scarcity of labor ended up producing money crops with the forced labor of African slaves, literally being treated as if they were machines for production.

How do you define slavery in today’s modern society? The word slavery sparks up heated conversations. The idea that all humans were born with their own rights, no matter what race or class they were in, was not prevalent during the early developmental stages of America. There has always been slaves throughout the history of man, dating all the way back to the 1600’s until today’s day in age when it is no longer legal but still seems to prevail. There are still cases in which slavery still exist but is more commonly hidden from the public eye. The only thing that has changed for slavery is the mindset behind it and the openness for it. Instead of race having to be the main aspect, people believed fate determined if you were free or enslaved. The people of that time believed that if you were born at the bottom of society you were indefinitely going to stay at the bottom in a society of poverty.

Slavery has been the most influential issue in politics starting from 1776 and continues for a long period of time. Besides the issue of slavery, other factors also cause disputes between parties and was first seen dating back to the time of the Federalist Party. Different parties that supports either the North or South was formed and through time, progressed into the split of the Union in 1860. Between the three parties: Know-Nothing, Free Soil and Republican, they all have contributed to the breakup of the Union and mostly through the issue of slavery.

The controversies surrounding slavery have been established in many societies worldwide for centuries. In past generations, although slavery did exists and was tolerated, it was certainly very questionable,” ethically“. Today, the morality of such an act would not only be unimaginable, but would also be morally wrong. As things change over the course of history we seek to not only explain why things happen, but as well to understand why they do. For this reason, we will look further into how slavery has evolved throughout History in American society, as well as the impacts that it has had.