...I think that scholars could argue that the Civil War was as much about economics as it was as a human rights issue mostly because they were directly related. The main issue of the civil war was slavery and the reason the South wanted slavery was because of how intertwined it had become into the economy. Slavery was no longer just a means of getting working done but was an asset which could be bought and sold almost like a human stock market. Demand was very high for slaves in the south and as a result many people began to buy slaves with the sole purpose of breeding them to sell the children at a later date. The whole idea is very messed up but people will do just about anything if the payoff is big enough. In Williamson’s article he discussed how the price of a slave was over $130,000 in today’s prices which shows just how big of an investment owing a slave was. He goes on to say that that price was twice that of what it was 14 years ago showing that the price for slaves were rapidly increasing. Williamson also mentions “there is considerable evidence that slaves were worked harder than free labor in Southern agriculture, that what they could be induced to produce in bondage was greater than what they could be expected to produce with the freedom to make their own choice of labor or leisure”. Meaning that landowner preferred to have slaves because they could have fewer workers that way and get more work done. He goes on to say “The statistics on slave prices show that healthy...
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...Slavery was very important to the south, and the south was extremely dependent upon it. The south had a lot of plantations, or large farms. As the cotton industry spread the need for jobs rose tremendously. A need that the south alone could not provide. Slavery had been around for years before this but the need for it in the south became evident. As the need for slaves grew, there just weren’t enough southerners to go around. So they started bringing slaves in from Africa. As the number of slaves grew so did the farms. Most of the money the south earned was actually from the crops the slaves grew. As the money grew, more and more people wanted slaves of their own. But working on plantations weren’t the only things that the slaves did. They had many other jobs. Some being cooks, seamstresses, butlers, maids, and carriage drivers. Most of these jobs...
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...The Civil War was an bad fight between the South, which wanted slaves to still be a thing, and the North, which wanted to stop slavery. During the Civil War both the North and the South needed to work out what they both wanted to do. Though in the end North got what they wanted, which is a good thing, of course. The North and South and very different opinions on what to do. One of the ways we know this is from the documents given to us. A Confederate recruitment poster from 1862 shows that the South viewed blacks as workers. They didn't care about the African-Americans they just wanted them to be their slaves . The source "Wanted! 200 Negroes" tells us who the actual audience is and what they want to do. "I call upon the Planters...
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...Slavery was huge part during the Civil War. It has also existed for most of the United States history. The first slaves were brought to America in 1619 and lasted officially until 1865. During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln kept insisting that this war was not to demolish slavery, but to save the union. Everyone knew that this war was really about bringing down slavery. Most slaves knew this, so they wanted to help fight. Though many slaves, about 200,000, wanted to join the fighting almost nobody would let them fight. Many slave owners would not let their slaves fight, they had to stay and tend the plantations. Many slaves lived in very harsh conditions and in constant fear of their lives. Slavery mostly existed for a few reasons it was free...
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...went on the South began to feel more and more greatly threatened by the North. The South began to become dismayed with the lack of acknowledgement concerning federal control over state rights. Many southern states felt that the new constitution did not fully acknowledge if at all the rights of states to act independently. This was an exponential concern with right of slavery. As America began to expand with the addition of new states from the Louisiana Purchase and the victory of the Mexican War, the fight arose between slave and non-slave state proponents. The Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850, and Kansas- Nebraska Act of 1854 were all based around the use or freedom of slaves in new territories causing rising tensions between the North and South. The growth of the Abolition movement twisted the nerves of slave owners throughout the south. The movement was influential for abolitionists against slavery that grew especially after the publishing of Uncle Tom’s Cabin and The Raid of Harpers Ferry. The election of Abraham Lincoln was the final straw for slave states. Lincoln was seen as an anti-slavery activist, causing the secession South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia,...
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...Historical Background of Slavery During the Civil War People of the North and South including blacks and whites experienced social, economical, and political changes. it was a huge dramatical changes during this period of time. Houses, farm lands, schools, and community centers were all destroyed. All these took place during and after the civil war. After the Civil War, freedmen worried about their freedom and right. “ Their actions raised a host of questions about what rights the freedmen would be entitled to, including land ownership and voting” (Saul,Donnell, and Keen) . Also, slaves were given the opportunity to be freed from their masters. However, their freedom were still restricted. They were segregated from the whites in public places, transportation, and in school. This was as a result of slave owners who protested against slave freedom. According to history.com, “congress made enough effort to help restore back the life of the freedmen by creating the Freedmen’s Bureau in March 1865. The Freedmen Bureau took effect for a short period of time, before it was destroyed by the southerner and vetoed by Johnson on February,1866. Meanwhile, freedmen enjoyed some benefit of the Freedmen’s Bureau, such as education, food, housing, and medical services, before the Act was destroyed. However, It was after the Reconstruction act, fifteenth amendments, and Jim Crow’s laws that freemen were officially recognized as citizens of the United state, and were allowed to vote”....
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...Before the Civil War, legal, political, social and cultural circumstances in American society shaped the lives of African Americans by enslaving the population in fear, illiteracy, and even hierarchy. Many plantation owners preyed upon their slaves with fearful explanations on what would happen to them if they tried to escape to freedom. “A slaveholder once told me that he had seen a runaway friend of mine in New York, and that she besought him to take her back to her master, for she was literally dying of starvation…” (Incidents in the life of a slave girl,pp39). The slaveholder’s would also tell stories of what a horrible death a slave endured after their escape. Much of their stories were fiction and just a tactic to ensure the other slaves would think twice about escaping. Many slaves did learn to read and write and learned of the truth through letters and newspapers. A wise slave would seldom speak of this knowledge, in fear that their master would learn of their ability to read. Slaves would often ‘dumb down’ their intelligence to avoid whatever the consequences might be. “One day he caught me teaching myself to write…. Before long, notes were often slipped into my hand. I would return them, saying ‘I can’t read them sir…” (pp29). Slaves had a hierarchy in which they were placed or born to. Many worked hard and laborious hours in dire conditions. Still some work directly with their Mistress and cared for the children born to the Mistress. This labor was higher on the social...
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...“To what extent was the Civil War a war over slavery?” In this enlightened age, there are few I believe, but what will acknowledge, that slavery as an institution, is a moral and political evil in any Country. Robert E. Lee 620 thousand of soldiers lost their lives, war cost 5 billion dollars, large destructions, especially in the South. 4 million freed slaves by Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Brother shot to brother. Slavery in America has its origins from the beginning of United States existence. In nineteenth century U.S could be called as an young country with wide, noble ideas of independence, equality and economic development; with their own basic law, the first constitution in the World. Regarding to mentioned words; why was it possible to America to start Civil War? The case of America was multidimensional. United States Constitution did not explain laws and behaviour towards blackskinned slaves clearly. The South States of America were place where slavery flourished. Hosts of latifundiums needed ''hands to work'' – slaves were the cheapest solution because hosts after buying a slave with reasonabe price had to care only of the fact that their slave is still alive; they provided slaves with hunger food rations and water – it was a cheap labour which made large land holdings profitable. In general opinion this unhumanitarian situation was the reason of Civil War. But... Was it that clear? ...
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...The thought of slavery playing a role in starting the Civil war has been talked about amongst professional historians for years. Slavery had a big impact on the North and South in multiple ways, and because it was such a controversial topic it would eventually take part in starting the Civil War. You might think that the Civil War was just to see if the black man was free or not, but there were many underlying factors that brought about the war. In fact, many people didn't even fight for the reason of slavery, most of them fought for moral reasons and to protect their way of life. Like I said, there are many reasons that slavery was so controversial, but some really important ones were the disagreements of the international slave trade, the...
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...(664 word count) 3/29 /15 Frederick Douglas, a mixed race slave contributed to anti slave movement and civil war beginning as a lecturer, influencing Lincoln to push for the emancipation proclamation as well as black women’s rights. Douglass was able to escape slavery and articulate his experiences in compelling lectures. He played a role during Lincoln’s presidency to influence to allow the participation of African Americans to fight in the civil war. He also pushed for freedom for all African American Slaves. After the 15th amendment was passed Douglas fought for African American woman’s equality and their right to vote. His accomplishments helped shape the country into what it is today, one nation. Frederick Douglass was born on a plantation in Maryland and was raised by his grandmother. He knew he had a ‘white’ father and that his mother was sent away to work at a neighboring plantation. When he was 8 he was sent to another plantation to become a house servant. He was taught by the master’s wife to read and write. At around the age of 13 he taught himself public speaking by reading the book The Columbian Orator, which he purchased for himself. (teenink.com) William Garrison, head of the Anti-Slavery Society, recognized Douglass as and excellent and interesting speaker. The society later helped him publish his autobiography. He wrote his book, “Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, in which he described his life and experiences as a slave. (Sayre 962)...
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...The topic of slavery has caused a striking conversation for decades. Often when people think about slavery they only think about slavery in America before the Civil War. Slave trade began in the fifteenth century, when the Portuguese began exploring the coast of West Africa. Slavery then continued out to the rest of South America, the Middle East, and Europe. Soon more people became a part of the Atlantic Slave trade. Some Africans would be sent to Europe, because they were conditioned to work in a tropical environment, and the Europeans wanted workers who could work in any environment. During the high mid century serfdom was introduced in Europe. Much like slavery, serfdom linked peasants to a plot of land owned by their lord. Though they...
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...Since the 20th century , the slavery has been broadly understood as forced labor. Slavery an based on a relationship of submission where one person sees another person and can exact from that person labor. African American got very hard time because they were seen as less than other people through their skin color and culture or low material. As they did not took their civil rights like other civil. From the 1600s, African Americans were treated as slaves for white people. They had a very difficult life in their way of living. In 1861 the north were against having slaves, but the south wanted to allow slavery. Then the Civil War between the North and South began. Finally, the North won, and the slaves became free. Frances Ellen Watkins...
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...The Effects of the Civil War on Americans Sophia Taylor HIS/110 November 3, 2014 Frank Bird The Effects of the Civil War on Americans The Civil War had a major effect on the United States and where we are today. Historian Shelby Foote said, Any understanding of this nation has to be based…on an understanding of the Civil War . . . The Civil War defined us as what we are, and it opened us to being what we became, good and bad things. It is very necessary if you’re going to understand the American character in the 20th century to learn about this enormous catastrophe of the mid-19th century. It was the crossroads of our being. Burns, K. & Burns, R. (Writers). (1990). Episode 1: The cause (1861). In K. Burns (Producer), The Civil War. Arlington, VA: Public Broadcasting Service. What I think Foote meant in this quote was that we are free today because of the Civil War. If it had not been for the north and south fighting we would not be free today. Indivisible Union The north and the south wanted control of the states. The states wanted to relinquish control to the federal government. I think that Foote was saying that with the Civil War we were able to gain control. If it had not been for all the fighting with the north and the south we would not have came to any agreement. So one thing that had a lot to do with the Civil War was slavery. Northerners felt slavery was essentially against what America stood for, Southerners depended on slavery to maintain their...
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...American Civil War The American Civil War is a very misunderstood war. It is known for the war that ended slavery. What most people don’t know is the war was not originally fought for the abolition of slavery. The South, or the Confederate, wanted to exercise their rights as states and split from the north. Well Abraham Lincoln thought that would be the downfall of the United States. The Civil War was fought to between the Union and the Confederacy on the issue of splitting up the United States. The country was divided between two philosophies, either they thought the country could only survive and prosper as a whole, or they believed the south had the right to split from the union. The country was divided between two different philosophies. The North believed if the South seceded from the North the country would crumble. While the South believed they had the right as states to separate themselves from the Union. (Malvasi) Abraham Lincoln was the head of the Unions thinking. He had a great sense of political knowledge. He realized if the south did secede the Union wouldn’t stand a chance against attack because half of the country essentially would have been gone. Lincoln originally had no plans of abolishing slavery all his focus was on keeping the country together in one strong unit. (Malvasi) The South on the other hand felt they had been mistreated by the Union and were being taken advantage of. Soon the idea of secession came around ...
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...He strongly opposed the ending of slavery. Growing up, John Wilkes Booth lived in a household that owned slaves. Because of this, Booth was used to the idea of having slaves around. However, Lincoln campaigned against slavery and advocated the outlawing of the spread of slavery amongst the states. He supported extending the vote to educated African Americans and all black veterans. In January of 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that said, “all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free” (PBS 1). The support President Lincoln had against slavery really bothered Booth. This disagreement gave John Wilkes Booth a motive for Lincoln’s...
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