Slavery And The Civil War

The American Civil War occurred between April 12, 1861, and May 9, 1865, and began due to the long-standing controversy of slavery in the country. Shortly after Abraham Lincoln took office, Confederates attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina, and among the 34 U.S. states seven Southern slave states succeeded from the United States. More states seceded and the Confederacy grew up to eleven slave states. This split the country between the Union in the Northern states, and the Confederate States of America in the Southern states. One big disagreement many Americans have today is whether slaves rights was the cause of the Civil War or not. Charles B. Dew believes the Civil War was fought over slavery, using speeches and public letters of 41 white southerners who were commissioners and appealed to their audience the ideas of the preservation of slavery and white supremacy as his evidence. Gary W. Gallagher believes that the Civil War was not fought over slavery, and the main goal for Northerners was to preserve the Union, using letters of white Northern soldiers that do not show much concern for black people as his evidence. Frederick Douglass’s statement, “The cry of Free Men was raised, not for the extension of liberty to the black man, but for the protection of the liberty of the white” is valid because the Civil War was not fought for the equality of black people, African Americans were treated very poorly after the Civil War and the emancipation proclamation was passed for

Cotton was the king of the South. It was bringing in large amounts of money as the textile industry in the North grew. Slavery was vital to the economic well-being of the South, and when the North began to question the “peculiar institution” of the South the wall of civility between the two sectionalized areas began to crumble. Due to the growing issue of slavery in the 1850s, the United States of America was in a state of total disarray and turmoil. The tension that had always existed between the North and South over the matter of slavery was no longer ignorable. As the United States expanded to the West, the status of slavery in the new states erupted in a violence that could no longer be controlled by sectionalism. The peace treaties that had worked in the past became Band-Aids over stab wounds. Southern states began to leave the United States of America to form the Confederate States of America and war was declared as the South fired onto the forts of the North. The Civil War was caused directly by the issue of slavery; the fugitive slave act in the Compromise of 1850, Dred Scott v. Sandford, and Bleeding Kansas prove that slavery was the key factor in the eruption of the nation.

Throughout the 1800s in America, slavery was a controversy between the north and the south. A Slave was one who was the property of another human being under law and was forced to obey them. The North felt that slavery was unfair and inhumane, whereas in the South, they felt as though slavery was crucial to their success. African American slaves were not allowed many rights: they were not allowed to testify in court against a white person, could not receive an education, or even sign contracts. Due to the brutality they faced each day, many slaves escaped with hopes to find freedom. The Underground Railroad, a system utilized by many runaway slaves to help them escape from the South to Canada, played a large role in the downfall of slavery and eventual abolition in the United States following the Civil War.

The American Civil War is also referred to as the war between the Northern and Southern States or the Rebellion War that began in 1861. Slavery was regarded as the main cause leading to the start of the war, as a high level of discrimination against the African Americans existed upon their arrival in the United States. The African Americans were either sold and traded by the elders in their villages or plucked from their native countries for a sometimes deadly transatlantic journey to serve wealthy southern families. They were not viewed as peers but as laborers and farmers. Americans who were rich and owned large plantations took the African Americans as their slaves. They suffered as if they were not worthy of compensation including working without pay and the standard consequence was lynching. During the period, they fought for their freedom, which was not given to them until the Civil War was fought. Consequently, they aligned themselves with the white men who were also soldiers in fighting for their freedom.

The Civil War, occurring between the years 1861 and 1865, was a devastating effect of sectionalism caused by the division of the country on the topic of slavery. Slavery impacted every aspect of the country, whether in the North or the South, though primarily in the South; major impacts were in the politics and economy of the early country ways which inevitably caused the Civil War.

Civil war is the most consequential and pressing period in the history of America. The war ended and halted centuries of slavery in the country and it also made a great deal of numerous political and social changes. The country was already ripped up and torn up by the negative fad in race relations and a number of cases of slave confusions were taking a toll on the country's political and social structure. While the most common cause of the Civil war is said to be slavery, there were several other factors involved also. Although slavery was the major cause, so to speak, it was definitely not the only cause of the Civil War. Abolition of slavery and Civil War has become comparable terms. Slavery has been turned into a too suitable excuse in connection with the Civil War.

Escaped slaves from the South helped the north to win the Civil War by increasing the number of soldiers fighting in the war for the north and by spying on the south for the north. With the help of escaped slaves fighting the South, the north outnumbered the south in battles, which eventually led to the North’s victory in the Civil War. Escaped slaves form the south also helped the north by spying on the south and reporting to Union officials who reported the information to the Union army. The purpose of this paper is to consider how escaped slaves from the south helped the north win the civil war resulting in the abolishment of slavery.

The role of slavery as an underlying cause of the civil war has been argued about for a long period of time. The many political parties that emerged had different ideologies. Slavery was considered an indirect cause based on the further disagreements and conflicts that arose. Most Northerners were not campaigning due to the treatment of slaves but were worried about the outcome it would have on the states ultimately leading to the Civil War. Although slavery was not a direct cause of the civil war, the disagreement of the topic between the states led to tensions and further conflicts, such as the controversy over Kansas, making slavery an indirect cause of the civil war.

Although many presume that the growing opposition to slavery was the lone cause of the South’s succession that led to the Civil War, economic and political tensions were also key factors in provoking their immense decision to leave the Union.

The question of slavery and the rights of states to decide on the matter for themselves completely controlled politics in the years prior to the Civil War. Laws were passed, such as the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which made it so any slaves that escaped were to be sent back to their owners. Not only would these runaway slaves be punished severely, but anybody who aided them in escape would also be subject to harsh punishment. These desperate men, women, and children had no protection in the legal system and were left with no options in life other than escape. Many of these escapees had to watch friends and family be beaten, sold, or even killed and were expected to work just as hard, like nothing had happened. After losing everything, it

In the early years of the 19th century, slavery was more than ever turning into a sectional concern, such that the nation had essentially become divided along regional lines. Based on economic or moral reasoning, people of the Northern states were increasingly in support of opposition to slavery, all the while Southerners became united to defend the institution of slavery. Brought on by profound changes including regional differences in the pattern of slavery in the upper and lower South, as well as the movement of abolitionism in the North, slavery in America had transformed from an issue of politics into a moral campaign during the period of 1815-1860, ultimately polarizing the North and the South to the point in which threats of a Southern disunion would mark the beginning of the Civil War in 1861 (Goldfield et. al, The American Journey, p. 281).

The Civil War contributed to the enslaved period being terminated. The union allowed slaves to fight for them and this imposed on the slave masters throughout the south. During this period the slaves were very rebellious and violent towards their masters. They beat them, tortured them, and some even killed some of the slave masters. They all truly deserved it after the treatment that had been rendered towards the African Americans when they first arrived from the West Indies to the United States. So, fighting was in the Civil War became an honor for some and a way out for other slaves as they fought for equality and justice for all.

During 1790 and 1850, the United States was rapidly changing. The country was learning to live on its own, apart from England with its own economy, laws, and government. Not long after it declared independence that a rift between North and South began to start. The North believed in the Puritan Merchant role model, and the South in the role model of the English Country Squire. The difference in point of views soon caused the United States to start to split apart before eventually completely separating and resulting in one the bloodiest wars in American history. Prior to the outbreak of the civil war in 1861-1865, many events occurred within the years leading up to it that that foreshadowed the eventual succession of the southern “cotton states”. The Union and the Confederacy had begun to grow apart politically and economically following the election of President Lincoln. The outcome of the 1860 election sparked controversy and disagreement between the two sides, most specifically about the topic of slavery. Blacks had become bound to a life of slavery, and had become a staple of the American work force and economy.

Throughout the history of America, the “civilization” of slaves has been a complex issue that is often not looked at nor discussed enough in society. In its general definition, most people would think civilization is the process in which a person or animal is adapted to fit into a society. While this definition is technically correct, this is a simple example of what the word truly means. In the context of slavery, this term means the systematic dehumanization of people who were abused or imprisoned as slaves. It is the utter torture and excruciating pain that these people, who were not even considered humans, faced everyday until death. This was the justification that politicians and slave owners alike used as justification for slavery;

The American Civil War is considered one of the most consequential turning points in American History. The conclusion of the war primarily ended slavery throughout the country, but many social and political progressions helped shape the rhetoric of the civil war because of slavery. The civil war was a product of numerous problematic sequence of events, which created the mounting tension that divided the nation. The predicament of slavery is a key contributor to the cultural divide between the North and South, because of its overall impact on the fundamental social, economic, and political pillars of America. This substantial divide served as a catalyst to the beginnings of a new revolution: The American Civil War.