...------------------------------------------------- “How accurate were Southern claims in the antebellum period that slavery was benign and profitable?” ------------------------------------------------- By 1850 the issues surrounding slavery had dominated American politics because it was such a divisive issue in the antebellum period. Slavery was extremely important to Southern economics where ‘plantation’ farming had been established and laws passed which meant that all Negro slaves would be slaves for life. In the North, however, they found it easy to rid themselves of slavery and many states began to oppose slavery. Another important and again divisive question is was slavery benign or malignant and also was it profitable? In the antebellum period there were Southern claims that slavery was both benign and profitable. This claim can be argued to be partly accurate, but there are, however, other claims that slavery was malignant and unprofitable. This essay will weigh up and evaluate the evidence under the terms of punishments, revolts, living conditions and profitability before coming to the conclusion as to whether slavery was benign and profitable or malignant and unprofitable. An important aspect to consider when determining whether or not the Southern claims that slavery was benign in the antebellum period were accurate or not is the punishments faced by slaves. It has been argued that slaves were controlled through rewards rather than physical punishments....
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...began to have a growth of the abolitionist movement and increasing anti-slavery notions. The reason for the growing movement that opposed slavery was mainly caused by the Second Great Awakening and religious notions that stemmed from it, the growing notions of Sectionalism and the consequences of the early abolition of slavery in most New England states, and Racial Paternalism as a justification for slavery and the consequences of such. One reason slavery began to have growing opposition to it is due to the Second Great Awakening. Historically, the increase in religious fervor from the Second Great Awakening brought about reform movements such as the women’s suffrage movement, movements for the reform...
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...against itself cannot stand,” Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln wrote that in his speech when the Union was falling apart. It was falling apart because the South had slavery where the North didn’t. The South kept threatening to leave the Union until one day, they finally did. There are three main reasons why the South gave for Session from the Union. The reasons are from slavery, the Fugitive Slave Law, and from the “Last Straw” which was the Election of 1860. One of the main reasons that the South gave for Session from the Union was from slavery. Southerner’s life depended on slavery because without it, their economy would fall apart. On the other hand, the Northerners disliked it. They thought that it was cruel to treat people like animals! The North wanted to end slavery, however the South didn’t. Controversy between the two exploded! African Americans tried running away, fights broke out, and riots began! The Union couldn’t stay half slave or half free, it needed to be all one or all the other....
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...between nations, states, or parties. Every war has its reasons weather it be a good and acceptable reason or a bad reason. If people are going to be killed and the country itself be damaged because of the war, people will want to hear a reason. Some wars are inevitable and some are not. It all depends on its cause. The American Civil War is thought to be an inevitable war. Many are convinced that there was no other way to solve the tension between the North and the South. The difference in thinking of slavery of both sides was one of the reasons for the build up of the tension between the two sides but it was not the only reason as some may think. Economical differences and political differences also led to the tension between the two sided which resulted in a war. The war was considered inevitable because the South would not give up slavery, and the North would not let the South separate from the Union. The part slavery had on the Civil War cannot be ignored but it should not be responsible for the main cause. It was the difference in the North and the South that slavery created which led to the war. Slavery led to economic differences. In the South, slavery became a way of life. It was a large part of their society. Because they were farmers, they needed many workers to plant and gather. The South thought that if slavery was to be abolished, than their economy would fall because there would be no workers. In the North, slavery was not needed as much. The northern part of the US...
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...Frederick Douglass Narrative Have you ever wondered what life was like for slaves in America during the 1800s and what cruelties they had to endure every day? Frederick Douglass was an African-American orator, writer, and abolitionist who had witnessed and experienced the effects of slavery first-hand. Douglass wrote the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” to show the public the horrible depths of slavery. Since he was an abolitionist, he wished to abolish slavery completely and permanently. Slavery was still alive and well when his narrative was written. You can trust what Frederick Douglass wrote about his life and his surroundings because he had no reason to lie or make up any stories. As an abolitionist, he wanted to make known...
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...Civil War DBQ There are multiple reasons why Texans fought in the Civil War. The Civil War was North (Union) against South (Confederacy). Texans were part of the South, and they had slavery. The reasons for Texans fighting in the Civil War are slavery, keeping peace, and state rights. One reason Texans fought was for slavery. “African race has no (part) in their establishment, that they were rightfully held as and inferior and dependent race” (Doc B). Slaves weren't free, and that was the resolution. The ‘resolution’ was how Texas wanted it, so they fought for slavery. “All white men are and of right ought to be entitled to equal civil and political rights.” (Doc B) all white men had rights. White men had the right to, but it never said anything about African Americans and slaves. Texas fought to preserve slavery. Another reason for Texans fighting was to keep peace in Texas and in the country. (Doc A) the graph in this document states that only 30% of Texans had slaves. Not many texans owned slaves, but the ones who did weren’t afraid...
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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? Was the only reason to war combat for human rights and abolish slavery...
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...the act of abolishing slavery within the southern states, but was that really the cause? While reading through sources, a common question re-appears, was it really slavery that caused the...
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...Although by 1820 slavery had been abolished in the northern states, the status of free blacks there was not better from that of free blacks in the southern part of the country. Except of New England; the northern blacks voting rights were denied. In the early nineteenth century New York required Blacks to own at least $250 worth of real property to vote, and New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut rescinded black suffrage In several Midwestern states blacks were prohibited from settling within their boundaries, using laws comparable to those banning free blacks from entering the southern states. In the northern cities, competition between blacks and immigrants—mainly the Irish—for low‐wage, unskilled jobs created tensions that erupted...
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...The Civil War in the United States lasted from 1861 to 1865 for four years. The Civil War was one of the most famous and important wars in American history. It is said that there are a lot of causes for the Civil War. However, in my opinion, the primary reason for the coming the Civil War is the slavery. The North and the south had different opinions about the slavery future, and I think that it is the most influential reason for the Civil War. At that time, North and South had different economic and social styles. In the North, they imitated the European countries and started industrialization. Thus, they needed many labors with low wages. They wanted to hired slaves as the labors. In order to do that, they need to abolish the slavery and...
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...The institution of slavery is, in modern times, almost universally condemned and abhorred. Much of the ancient world, however, regarded slavery as an indisputable fact of life. While it had its critics, the institution of slavery was never seriously challenged in the ancient world. Even cynical and stoic philosophers, who ostensibly believed in the brotherhood of mankind, were more or less mute in their opinion. Aristotle, in Politics, qualifies and defends certain forms of the institution of slavery, identifying two distinct forms of slavery, one illegitimate, one legitimate. According to Aristotle, superiority and inferiority are inherent in all systems and relationships, and human slavery is a case parallel to many in nature. The soul rules the body like a master rules a slave, and reason governs the appetites like a king governing a city. It is natural and advantageous for the soul to rule the body, just as it is better for animals to be ruled by man, and the relationship of male to female is a relationship of superior to inferior. The relation of master and slave is simply a manifestation of the law of subordination. A so-called "natural" slave is, according to Aristotle, one who does not possess the full use of reason. The natural slave participates in reason to the extent that he perceives of it, but he does not himself have use of it. He therefore lacks in his capacity to perform civic duty and lead an ordered life. He compensates, however, by being possessed of a body...
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...The American Slavery in the 19th century In modern history, historians have researched the significance of slavery in the United States’ history. Many Black women and men in America suffered misery of slavery through their entire lives especially by their slave owners. Most African Americans people were sent to the United States and were underprivileged from the freedoms, joy of family life, ability to make own choices, and even from the basic human rights. In order to evaluate the American system of slavery this paper will analyze and compare two primary sources, Thomas Jefferson's, “ Note on the State of Virginia”, and "The Trials of Girlhood and The Jealous Mistress" in “Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl,” by Harriet Ann Jacobs. While Thomas Jefferson proposes his idea to emancipate freed African American slavery, he was willing to reconsider the relationship between slaves and their owners. Harriet presents real situation of degraded relationships between white and slaves in her early slave life. However, both two disagree that slavery in the United States would divide human races into even more conflicts with social, cultural, economic, and political impacts. In “Note on the state of Virginia,” Jefferson discussed his proposal for the emancipation and removal of Virginia's slaves. In his not he explained why freeing black slaveries could not remain longer in the future. Jefferson argued that “deep-rooted prejudices entertained by the whites; ten thousand...
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...between Great Britain the founding fathers found it necessary to establish the right fundamental principles for the future of America. After signing the Declaration of Independence it was a duty for the founding fathers to adhere to it. How did the founding fathers establish a government that would lead to the abolition of slavery? They did so by establishing a government that would follow the principles stated in the Declaration of Independence. As depicted in some of Thomas Jefferson’s writings, it was necessary to end slavery and he laid out why...
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...The Impact of Slavery on American Society DeVry University Abstract The subject of slavery has been the focus of a variety of controversies, debates, and protests throughout American history. Besides the Civil War era there has not been another time in history when slavery has been such a volatile topic as it has become in the last half decade. Even in modern day America the subject of slavery evokes significant discussions and has influenced legislative decisions such as the recent removal of the Confederate flag from South Carolina’s State House grounds and other government and public locations throughout the South. This paper seeks to review the literature attaching the history of slavery and present examples of the ethnic and cultural contributions that aided in the growth and diversity of America. It will also introduce examples of today’s societal issues including educational, economic, and social variances; the right to support cultural heritage; and the significant role history plays in influencing decisions made in America today. Introduction American history is filled with heinous acts that many would like to forget happened; slavery is no exception. Although it was a necessity of the times, slavery is undoubtedly one of the most volatile topics of discussion today; not just because of the inhuman and discriminatory treatment that was inflicted on an entire race, but also because of the perceived continued existence of some of those same...
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...a conflict between the two regions. Because the morality of slavery differed in the Union, the citizens of America fought each other for their beliefs, creating the Civil War. Different views on the morality of slavery had the North and the South struggle to create the perfect solution that would satisfy both groups. One of the groups were slavery supporters, which was the South. John C. Calhoun, the most well-known slavery supporter politician, declared that "We of the South will not, cannot, surrender our institutions, and is so interwoven with them that to destroy [slavery] would be to destroy us as a people. . . I hold it to be good" (Calhoun). The politician claimed that the South depended on the institution of slavery so much that they could not bear to destroy the practice without destroying themselves and thought that slavery was right. Because of their need for slavery, the South would not abolish slavery without a fight....
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