“Apostles of Disunion” In Apostles of Disunion, Charles Dew attempted to explain what led to the South’s decision to secede and ultimately cause a civil war. The one reoccurring theme he brings up as the major reason for the South’s secession was their widespread pro slavery attitude held at the time. Dew believed that if slavery had not existed, then the civil war would have never occurred. Throughout his writings he showed this Southern pro slavery attitude and used several examples to support this idea. Two of his best used examples were the the popular propaganda speeches made by slave owners in attempt to gain allegiance against the North and the South’s almost hatred of the Republican Party as a whole.
It was all a plot to dehumanise us, to allow our oppressors to rationalise their actions, and reduced us slaves to animal property- as implied by the term “ chattel slavery. " This made our masters perceive us as inhuman property, and made us perceive ourselves as inhuman property as well. I still wonder, why must the southern states of America’s economy revolve around agriculture and slavery? Even after the industrial revolutions impact on the Northern states, why must the Southern state appear oblivious to the urbanisation. Was it because Thomas Jefferson heavily idealised agrarian farming, or is it impudence?
That’s why I feel he wanted to be a part of the political abolitionist, the Liberty Party. I believed he felt that was the way to go, to prove that The Constitution was indeed anti-slavery. “The Negros of the South are, in fact, the happiest, and, in some sense, the freest people in the world. I argued that slavery was the natural and normal condition of the laboring man, white and black, and that slavery for both was right and necessary.”(Oates, page 137.part 18). These were the words of George Fitzhugh, I felt that by him saying that the Negros were the freest people in the world is very contradicting, how can one say that a slave was free, they couldn’t make any decisions for themselves, come and go as they please, let alone not be separated from their
He was committed to the antislavery cause and worked unceasingly for improvement of black civil rights. In 1837 Reason, Henry Highland Garnet, and George Downing launched a petition drive in support of full black suffrage. He was also secretary of the 1840 New York State Convention for Negro Suffrage. Reason founded and was executive secretary of the New York Political Improvement Association, which won for fugitive slaves the right to a jury trial in the state. In 1841 he lobbied successfully for the abolition of the sojourner law, which permitted slave owners to visit the state briefly with their slaves.
Gordon S. Barker in his book, In Fugitive Slaves and the Unfinished American Revolution: Eight Cases, 1848-1856 he contributes to the stories on American Revolution particularly in an effort to re-image and re-periodize the ‘grand American narrative’ of the U.S revolution by George Bancroft. The book is focused on the other side of the revolution i.e. the Black’s struggle for the war against slavery. For the common American man, the revolution and thus the war ended quite before when compared with the Revolution waged by the African slaves. The African Americans, united in their quest for creating ‘a perfect union’ which at its very earliest ended when the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified.
Irreconcilable differences may lead to emotional responses. This was the case with Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written in 1852. The mid-1800s were years of tremendous sectional and slavery-related turmoil. The Northern states experienced growing activity in the abolitionist movement and the opposition of slavery expanding into the West. The South, deeply rooted in tradition, upheld its convictions about the necessity of slavery.
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.
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.
On the pro-slavery side, the arguments centered on the stance that Bible lacked a clear definition of slavery and admonition against it. Another point that was argued is that because certain passages told of ancient biblical religious figures and leaders owned slaves which gave a pass to own slaves and was an acceptable stance. Shortly after the Second Great Awakening, many Protestants took up arms against slavery. One prominent voice was William Wilson, Chancellor of the Protestant University, who said that abolitionist should take the election of 1848. This would, of course, link politics and religion together.
By this time, slavery is a very hotly debated issue in America, even eventually leading to the Civil War. Thoreau obviously takes the position against slavery and tries to use his writing to try and convince the citizens of America to stand up against slavery and the laws that protect it. Thoreau often writes of the injustice that the government displays towards its people. For example, Thoreau writes, “Why does it not encourage its citizens to be on the alert to point out its faults, and do better than it would have them?” (184). Thoreau’s purpose is to convince the citizens of America to not follow the majority, but do what is felt to be morally right.