Slavery
Slavery was a HUGE issue! It had been for a long time. So why was it just know starting to spark conflict? Well first of all, you should know that that as each state was added, slavery was addressed. The northern states wanted slavery abolished. The southern states wanted slavery to continue. The north and south also had economical differences. Northern economy was industrial because of climate, land, trading ports, and resources. They also were big manufactures because the southern states sent harvested crops to be either manufactured or traded. Southern economy was agricultural because of climate, land, and resources. They relied on slaves.
So why was it an issue now? Americans imported more slaves than the 15, 16, and 1700s combined. This became an issue very quickly. The reason they imported so many was that demand for southern goods was very high. Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally. “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.”
“As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.” “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves, and, under a just God cannot retain it.” “Slaves are generally expected to sing as well as to work.” “I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only increased my desire to be free, and set me to thinking of plans to gain my freedom. I have found that, to make a contented slave, it is necessary to make a thoughtless one. It is necessary to darken his moral and mental vision, and, as far as possible, to annihilate the power of reason. He must be able to detect no inconsistencies in slavery; he must be made to feel that slavery is right; and he can be brought to that only when he ceased to be a man.” |
Inventions That Increased Demand for Southern Goods
Cotton Gin - invented by Eli Whittney processed cotton faster - demand went up - more slaves needed.
Sewing Machine - invented by Elias Howe produced clothing faster - needed more cotton to keep up - needed more slaves
Mechanical Reaper - invented by Cyrus McCormic demand for tobacco was astronomical - reaper cut more crops - more slaves needed to grow and harvest crops
“...I therefore hate the corrupt, slaveholding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of the land... I look upon it as the climax of all misnomers, the boldest of all frauds, and the grossest of all libels. Never was there a clearer case of 'stealing the livery of the court of heaven to serve the devil in.' I am filled with unutterable loathing when I contemplate the religious pomp and show, together with the horrible inconsistencies, which every where surround me. 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 fills the pulpit on Sunday, and claims to be a minister of the meek and lowly Jesus. . . . The slave auctioneer’s bell and the church-going bell chime in with each other, and the bitter cries of the heart-broken slave are drowned in the religious shouts of his pious master. Revivals of religion and revivals in the slave-trade go hand in hand together. The slave prison and the church stand near each other. The clanking of fetters and the rattling of chains in the prison, and the pious psalm and solemn prayer in the church, may be heard at the same time. The dealers in the bodies of men erect their stand in the presence of the pulpit, and they mutually help each other. The dealer gives his blood-stained gold to support the pulpit, and the pulpit, in return, covers his infernal business with the garb of Christianity. Here we have religion and robbery the allies of each other—devils dressed in angels’ robes, and hell presenting the semblance of paradise.” |
Call to End Slavery
In the 1800s, there was a second Great Awakening. Slavery became an issue because of the religious uprising. Along with slavery, temperance was also addressed. You may have heard about the Underground Railroad. This played a key role in the call to end slavery. The Underground Railroad was a chain of statehouses to the north for slaves to escape to freedom. Someone who wanted to end slavery was called an abolitionist. There are many famous abolitionists who's names you may recognize. Harriet Beecher Stowe (author of Uncle Tom's Cabin), Harriet Tubman (famous conductor on the Underground Railroad), and Sojourner Truth (runaway slave that helped many slaves escape to freedom) are just a few to name, but two abolitionists stand out. Fredrick Douglas was a runaway slave. Once he became free, he educated himself and traveled all over the U.S. and Britain. He brought slavery to the doorsteps of the north, meaning that he made it known to the north what was really happening. Sure, they knew that slavery was in the south, but they didn't understand what it had become. Douglas became a real threat to slave owners, especially after he wrote The North Star. John Brown a fanatic about abolishing slavery, extremely militant, passionate, and extremely religious. Some believe that this is what made him most dangerous because he believed he was truly doing God's work. He was also a business man that traveled the country to fight slavery. Brown also helped many slaves escape. There were two major events that directly involved him; Bleeding Kansas and Harpers Ferry. At Bleeding Kansas, Brown picked out five slavery supporters that were trying to claim Kansas as a slave state, and killed them. The method of murder is unknown, but they may have been stabbed to death. Harpers Ferry was a raid that was planned and executed by Brown and his followers. They tried to rob an armory, but Brown was arrested and hung for many charges, including murder.
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