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Maria Molina
Period 3
Due Date: November 22nd, 2010th
History Essay 1
The Civil War between the North and the South of the United States in 1861-1865 marked an important moment in history. The Civil War resulted in the abolishment of slavery, and both sides of the nation reuniting. Each side had many differences and opinions that collided with one another triggering a war that took a larger death toll than any other war in American history. One of the issues that they had disagreed upon was slavery; while the South grinned happily at the sight of slaves working, the North frowned upon the inequality of slaves in society. Starting in Virginia, slavery had progressed helping the South’s economy flourish and boost their self esteem. The abolitionist movement was based on the growth of opposition to slavery starting in the 1830s. As slavery spread throughout the nation, its legality in states was argued creating a political and economical divide within the nation. Once the nation was inspired of the idea of Manifest Destiny, the merit of whether slaves were a benefactor for the economy was tested. All of these problems slowly broke up the political parties, thus forming new ones that led to the election of the amazing Abraham Lincoln. The issue of slavery was sorted out by many historians going in different directions in example of a paternalistic and benevolent view verses punitive and pernicious view on slavery, or whether slavery was even important as a cause of the Civil War. Slavery as one of the causes of the Civil War had a huge impact because it led to tensions between the North and South over moral, economic, and political differences.
After the slave system had become race-based and the Southern economy became more important, the need for slaves increased. The system of slaves in the American South was of racial subordination. Race-based slavery was established first with the idea in the United States that if you weren’t Christian, then you were to become a slave. A case happened later on where three men who had escaped from prison were caught, and then trialed for jail. The two white men had a sentence of a couple years while the black man was sentenced for life. This happened because many people started to believe that if you were born African American race or were African American, you were inferior to other races generally the whites. The whites thought themselves as the majority or superior race, and those below them were the inferior. Local laws were being established to institutionalize slavery, and eventually nationally. Race-based slavery couldn’t have developed without the supporting ideas of African American inferiority. The control of slaves dealt with almost four million blacks by eight million whites after the cotton production. Many Southerners had moved to the flourish states for one reason; cotton. Cotton became the main manufacturer and it was starting to outnumber the profit that slaves would hold out. But then cotton production and slave population rose together from 1790-1860. Soon next to cotton laid the production of corn in its compatibility. Corn was more essential to a family’s lifestyle. Both the Upper and Lower South states were prosperous with the production of corn and cotton. This resulted in a larger call of slaves to come and work for the manufacturers. The South’s economy had grown out of the slum and the value of slaves had increased. The rise of the abolitionist movement started once slaves who were Christian realized how immoral the act of slavery was. But slavery couldn’t be abolished immediately because of the greed that the southern slave holders held. There were those who had assumptions that American slavery was unprofitable, inefficient, and extremely hard to live as a slave. But Robert William Fogelman and Stanley L. Engerman support that slavery was economically useful especially in the case of the South, where cash crops like cotton, sugar, and corn grew. These men also recognized the achievement of the black slaves and portrayed slavery as a successful and reasonably moral system. Slaves were used for the economy, and even if Jefferson and Washington had argued slavery was wrong, they were also slaveholders; slaveholders wouldn’t give an ear to listen because slaves were such an essential part of the economy. The South’s determination to rise in their economy eventually led to their unfortunate differences with the North.
As the economic and social life of being a slave worsened, the morality of slavery was argued starting the Abolitionist movement. It can be supported that the life of a slave was very tough and strictly disciplined. Both men and women slaves usually had to work full day hours under the control of their white slaveholders. Masters were encouraged to whip their slaves every now and then because it would keep the slaves in line. Reading the statistics of annual net earnings, average daily food consumption of slaves, distribution of whippings, and life expectancy, slavery could almost be portrayed as an essentially equal institution where masters tended after the submissive African Americans. Slaves received fair amounts of food, where whipping at the most twelve times a year, and lived almost as long as the white folks. Most southern families didn’t even own slaves, and those with money had slaves in order to gain more money. But the economic and social life of being a slave in the South leading up to 1861 was still difficult. Slave trade had a devastating effect on natural increase among blacks. Black slave marriages were increasing on same or nearby plantations. Masters gave their consent for the slave marriages and encouraged them because they wanted to bring new slaves into the world and didn’t want to discourage slaves from running away. Slaves multiplied and soon the Western Hemisphere had more slaves that reproduced faster and lived longer. But there were some slaves who encouraged others to rebel, like Nat Turner. The Nat Turner Rebellion frightened slaveholders that the same could happen to their slaves. Nat Turner was an escaped slave trying to bring justice. He had a past of family members who had been hurt or taken away from him because of slavery. Turner’s Rebellion was almost three days, and could’ve been called the “First War” in front of the Civil War. This rebellion proved that African Americans would die in order to end slavery. An effective tool for whites was Christianity because it made them believe that slavery was acts of God in them helping the slaves find salvation. But Christianity for the blacks also turned in another way; it made them realize how unjustified slavery was. Historian Ulrish B. Phillip’s American Negro Slavery said that slaveholders were kind and gracious making the slaves feel content with life. But Frederick Douglass had said from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass that “We have men-stealers for ministers, women-whippers for missionaries, and cradle-plunderers for church members. The man who wields the blood-clotted cowskin during the week fill the pulpit on Sunday, and claims to be a minister of the meek and lowly Jesus… We have men sold to build churches, women sold to support the gospel, and babes sold to purchase Bibles for the poor heathen! All for the glory of God and the good of souls”. Frederick Douglass was a prominent black member of society. Douglass wanted us to realize that these men and women who call themselves Christians are frauds, and hypocrites! They steal men, whip women, etc. He points out how those who are being accused as thieves and adulterers are being accused by the actual thieves and adulterers. Douglass is trying to attack slavery with an emotion of guilt and pity. As men and women started realizing that slavery was wrong, it spread like the ripples after an apple dropping in water. In 1831, abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison printed out the Liberator, a newspaper that for almost 35 years spoke out against slavery and for the rights of African Americans. Garrison, a leader among American abolitionists, provided his views with conviction, as well as foresight. "Posterity," he had said in the editorial, "will bear testimony that I was right." Although abolitionists did not free any slaves, they raised the nation’s consciences about the moral evils of slavery and their actions definitely helped lead to the action of the Civil War.
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