As slave-owning and slave trading were accepted routines of colonial life, slavery would play a central part in the language of the revolution. The perseverance of the legalized institution of slavery until 1865 is unquestionably the most controversial aspect of all American history. The hypocrisy of the new republic dominated the spotlight of the global stage. The US cultivated and advocated philosophy of the Enlightenment while continuing to legitimize the evil of slavery amongst countless innocent souls. As the European lands were building powerful states on the foundations of revolutionary ideas, and dismantling the whole system, the United States forged a strong central government to deal with the political and social issues that divided the American republic.
During the years that lead to the United States Civil War, the embroilment over slavery became not only a social controversy, but also a legal and political one. Supporters, and non-supporters of slavery each looked to the American constitution as well as the predominant culture of the time for direction in handling this matter. One person whom established their landmark works on this was Frederick Douglas, an emancipated slave, who fought relentlessly for the abolishment of slavery. In 1852, Frederick Douglas was allowed to speak his thoughts at the July 4th celebration. In his speech, he made it known that he despised the treatment of the Black slaves, as well as the irony and hypocrisy that followed.
Significance: Slavery brought Africans to America, challenged this country to look at all men as equals and made us leaders in the world for civil rights of mankind. Cause: The ability for ships to sail to America and the greed of slave ship captains made slavery in a new frontier, America, inevitable. Effect: The widespread supply and demand for slavery caused civil unrest within Africa and turned many groups against one another. Eventually these groups became part of the slave trade and provided slaves from their own tribes. Significance: This vicious cycle caused economic and political unrest, ultimately weakening Africa’s economic, political and social stability.
Nineteenth century abolitionists shared many of the philosophies of the transcendentalists, and based on the beliefs of individual rights, they fought to free the slaves in the south and end slavery in the in the united states entirely. This movement set the basis for some of the most memorable and revolutionary movements in American history, and also provided the spark to ignite the roaring fire that was the Civil war. Two influential social reformers that led to the Abolitionist movement were William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips. Garrison’s approach to demand change was very unique, he began in his attack by admitting that he is harsh, but then goes on to use that to his advantage. He accurately illustrated the harsh realities that the slaves endured and made a lasting impression by making the point that slaves are not property to be owned and sold, that they are people and they deserve to be treated like human beings.
But as time passed, people started to believe that slavery was unconstitutional. Debates were fought, muskets snapped, and cannons roared in order to secure the future of our country. After a war that separated the country for the first time in her short history, slavery was abolished; but laws and manuscript can only do so much. For the generations that were imprinted with this natural racism, it would take an equal amount of explanation and understanding to have any hope of a change in their mindset. Langston Hughes’s poem depicts this as the “Negro bearing slavery’s scars”, stating that no matter how much time has or will pass, the social and mental damage has already been done (20).
Because in my perspective, this contradictory proclamation seems to be a political propaganda to support only the whites. Today I stand, as a runaway slave who escaped the grasp of slave owners and harsh Fugitive Slave Laws presented in the Compromise of 1850. However, tension has finally reached a peak between the North and the South due to the secession in 1860. I believe that several key events from 1845-1861 caused all this turmoil and crashed the regional differences between the Union and the Confederacy together. Eventually leading to the outbreak of the Civil war in 1861.
Southern states believed that their way of life was being infringed, meaning that slavery was an important institution for their mainly agricultural based economy. The infringement of their way of life was what really caused the succession of the Confederate states and the Civil War. It has been said that the Civil War is the second American Revolution. In many ways, this statement is accurate. The American Revolution was fought because colonists felt the tyrannical government of Great Britain was abusing their authority, and directly affecting their way of life and happiness.
The reasons for this were the new intellectual ideas coming out of Britain during the industrial revolution, mostly ideas from humanitarian philosophy. Contained in the new, rapid influx of late enlightenment philosophies was this new humanitarian philosophy that all men are created equal. While essentially reiterating most of the Lockian philosophy which dominated pre-slavery times, this put a great emphasis on combating the trend of slavery and breaking down all other barriers that limited any culture of man. The British government eventually came under this philosophy when they officially banned slavery in their country in the early 19th century. This put a huge damper on the triangular trade that put slavery in many other countries and thus led to the downfall of slavery in all modern countries.
Her book Uncle Tom's Cabin, published in 1852, showed not only how slavery brutalized the men and women who were forced to endure it, but also how the establishment of slavery affected slaveholders. Stowe personalized the experiences and effects of slavery and convinced many Americans that slavery was morally wrong. This book later served as fuel to the abolitionist cause of ending the war. Uncle Tom's Cabin is dominated by a single theme: the evil and immorality of slavery. While Stowe has other subthemes throughout her text, such as the moral authority of motherhood and the redeeming possibilities offered by Christianity, she emphasizes the connections between these and the horrors of slavery.
Morally, America was affected by the citizens’ personal feelings on slavery on slavery and how the citizens handled those emotions. Economically, America was affected by the South losing slave labor, causing them to lose profit because of abolitionists and African Americans. Thus, America was affected by slavery politically, morally, and economically which helped cause the civil war. Slavery was a major issue in America in the 1800’s and