The Role Of Slavery In American Politics

The American Civil War is also referred to as the war between the Northern and Southern States or the Rebellion War that began in 1861. Slavery was regarded as the main cause leading to the start of the war, as a high level of discrimination against the African Americans existed upon their arrival in the United States. The African Americans were either sold and traded by the elders in their villages or plucked from their native countries for a sometimes deadly transatlantic journey to serve wealthy southern families. They were not viewed as peers but as laborers and farmers. Americans who were rich and owned large plantations took the African Americans as their slaves. They suffered as if they were not worthy of compensation including working without pay and the standard consequence was lynching. During the period, they fought for their freedom, which was not given to them until the Civil War was fought. Consequently, they aligned themselves with the white men who were also soldiers in fighting for their freedom.

A new party arose from that election named the Free-Soil Party. At the time I have heard talk around the town about this party. I remember how they wanted to keep slavery

It consisted of members of the Whig Party who were opposed to slavery. They were democrats that were against the expansion of

The north and south have been arguing over slavery since 1787 when the constitution was first signed and our government as we know it came to be. Before the westward expansion in new unexplored territory began in the United States, it was understood that the Ohio River and Mason-Dixon line would be the boundary between free and slave states. Westward expansion was a very important thing to the United States during this time. The incorporation of new states in the newer, western territory made slavery a full-frontal concern of national politics. “As the free society of the North and the slave society of the South spread westward, it seemed politically expedient to maintain a rough equality among the new states carved out of western territories,” (Alchin, Linda). Balancing the amount of slave and free states was a significant matter to both the northern and the southern political leaders. When Alabama first joined the Union in 1819, it made the political power between free and slave states completely equal, which made political leaders from both sides happy.

The coexistence of a slave owning south with an increasingly anti-slavery north made conflict likely. It was formidable to decide whether such states like the ones gained from the Mexican War should be slavery or anti-slavery, which either way would disrupt the balance between the slave and antislavery states. This divided the Union and Confederacy even further. Later on, President Lincoln sought not to propose federal laws against slavery where it already existed, but he had in his 1858 House Divided speech, expressed a desire to “arrest the further spread of it “(Doc. G). Much of the political battle in the 1850s focused on the expansion of slavery into the newly created territories. All of the organized territories were likely to become free soil states which increased the southern movement toward secession. Both north and south assumed that if slavery could not expand it would become nonexistent. Southern fears of losing control of the federal government to anti-slavery forces, and northern feared that the slave power already controlled the government; these thoughts brought the sectional disagreements. The morality of slavery, the scope of democracy, and the economic merits of free labor versus slave plantations caused the Whig and know nothing parties to collapse and the free soil party to arrive, ruining the resolve of compromise.

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.

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

Part of Lincoln’s election was based around getting slaves equal rights. As mentioned previously, many Southerners did not like the Presidents will the end slavery, which resulted in an aggressive series of events. It was clear many Southerners were upset with Lincoln’s decision, whether it was economically or because they felt whites where inferior to blacks. One of the many statements made against the presidents actions was made by John Sanford which states, “My affection for [the Union] ceased the very moment when the myrmidons of Black Republicanism elevated to the chief magistracy of our country a miserable sectional, whining, canting negro-philist....”. Sanford’s clearly aggravated tone puts into perspective just how irritated many Southerners were at this decision. Not only were they angry, but they actually decided to do something about it, which lead to the first wave of states seceding from the

2.     Free Soil Party- This Party did not last long in the United States. The Main purpose of The Free Soil party was to stop the expansion of slavery into the Western territories.  Not only did they oppose on slavery but they would also try to get rid of laws that caused inequality between the white and black people or anything that discriminated the African Americans.

The core issue of the Republican Party, and Lincoln was over the extension of slavery. Abolitionists and supporters of free soil in the North worked to keep the Republicans from compromising on their territorial stand. In the South, proslavery advocates and secessionists gathered public opinion and demanded that state conventions assemble to consider secession.

The Republican party’s main objective was to stop slavery from spreading into the western territories, but the Anti-Slavery Society was much more strict, declaring that, “...[T]he slaves ought instantly to be set free…”(Document C). This made the South feel alienated from the North, and the Federal Government worked quickly to try and fix this, creating the Compromise of 1850. The Compromise of 1850 was made of five bills, but one specifically outraged the North: the Fugitive Slave Acts of 1850, which allowed government officials to detain and person convicted of being a runaway slave, even if they had lived with their friends for years and were clearly not runaway slaves. Many Northerners created bands against the laws and actively worked to disobey the Slave Acts, which made the South infuriated since the North had agreed to the Compromise. At this point, people began creating ideas about secession, as Senator Daniel Webster said in his speech to Congress in March, 1850: “I hear with pain and anguish the word ‘secession,’ especially when it falls from the lips of those who are… patriotic”(Document C). After these years, the election of 1860 was just around the corner, and this election would show just how divided the cultures of America

The border dispute where Texas (slave state) claimed the eastern half of the New Mexico Territory to them. In Texas, slavery had not been resolved at the time and new warnings of formal withdrawals of a state from the union arisen.

Slavery in America began during the early 17th century and followed with the abolitionist movement in the late 1800’s. This movement created a continental divide between southern and northern states. In the south, there are the Southern Democrats who supported the idea of slavery and believed that the institution was necessary for the survival of the south. Southern Democrats also argued that the North turned their back on the “real” America. While the northern states were composed of Republicans, such as Abraham Lincoln, whose efforts to exterminate slavery eventually caused the absorption of anti-slavery Whigs and most of the Know-Nothing party. In the years that followed, slavery fueled the fire that started the Civil War.

The Lecture was on Expansion of Slavery, legacies of Mexican war and compromise of 1850. This lecture, Dr. David Blight explained in the beginning the antislavery impulse went through various stages. 1830's and 1840's antislavery was greatly expanded through organization. The era was hugely devoted into changing the heart of American people as well as changing the heart of the slave holders himself. The second stage he explained to be a political stage. Largely beginning in 1837 with the birth of the liberal party. The liberal party attempted a antislavery party. Nevertheless, by the 1840 the liberal party merge because its lack of success. This lack moved in the mist of this Mexican war. In 1848 the free soil party began directly in response

While this uncertainty was taking place, a social force greater than party loyalty was beginning to reshape American politics. The slavery issue, with the passions it aroused in the North and the South, gradually compelled a realignment of parties. The Whigs party began to split in 1852. This was a result of the deep split in opinion over slavery. During the next few years most Southern Whigs joined the Democrats. Northern Whigs joined northern antislavery Democrats. In 1854 groups of northern men against slavery urged the creation of a new political party opposed to the continuation of slavery. This party has become today’s Republicans. During 1854 to1860, the slavery issue became such a hot topic that even Democrats were becoming divided among themselves. In 1860 four candidates ran for the presidency. Brekenridge was the Southern Democrats candidate, Douglas was the Northern Democrats candidate,