Slavery In America Between 1800 And 1860

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Slavery in America was not only a moral issue during the period between 1800 and 1858, but it affected America on an economic, social and legal level. Southerners wanted to justify slavery according to the bible and questioned the African’s ability to function independently. An additional moral issue was the treatment of slaves, which most northerners and abolitionists thought were appalling. There were many pro-slavery groups formed as well as groups that wanted to help free the slaves. Slavery led to the institution of the Republican Party, and a book was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe called “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” that helped to show the plight of slaves. The Dred Scott decision was infamous during territorial debates over slavery . Fredrick…show more content…
Abraham Lincoln was not at all in favor of slavery and argued with some of his opponents over it when settlers moved west. The Kansas-Nebraska Act went into effect in 1854, which allowed settlers to in a territory to decide the status of slavery. This repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1819. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped to point out the return of fugitive slaves became the most popular novel of the 19th century. It shows slavery for what it is; the demonic destruction of black families through sale and violence. Abolitionists like John Brown took a stand against slavery in his own way. He and his sons attacked a family with swords and got away with it! He and his sons again, along with a group of blacks, planned to attack the US arsenal at Harpers Ferry in Virginia. Fredrick Douglas advised him not to, but he went ahead with it anyway, but caught, found guilty and…show more content…
I think the search for gold in California may have been the key. What would have happened if a slave found gold in California? Would they have been able to sell it? Would they have been killed? Could they have bought their freedom with it? What kind of repercussions would there have been? What kind of positives would there have been? In a letter to his friend Joshua F. Speed in 1855, before he was president, Mr. Lincoln quoted, “As a nation we, we began by declaring that “all men are created equal.” We now practically read it “all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics.” I have to give it to Mr. Lincoln. He was also a very prolific speaker, and his ideas were profound for that era. His view though was still in line with what most whites thought at time, which was that whites were superior and blacks were inferior. But at least he took a stand for the so called equality of the black man in way. He, as a politician, had the courage to stand up and face a nation and say that slavery was wrong and it should be
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