Slavery In The Northern States: A Case Study

528 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The role of race in US slavery

The United States new territories in the West brought with them alarm regarding the issue of slavery within these new regions by both the Northern and Southern states (Schultz, 2014). Moreover, this tension was best observed in the political realm as the two-party system fractured under differing opinions of the admittance of slavery into these territories. The Southern states were for slavery in the new territories as it secured a slave society in the South, and provided new lands for the expansion of cotton crops for its citizens. Meanwhile, the Northern states were against slavery, although, not all were concerned with slave rights. Consequently, a large portion of the Northern States was either racist not wanting to live among an African-American population in the West, while others feared the competition for land between European-Americans and African-Americans. …show more content…

Additionally, Congressman Wilmot was concerned that if slavery was allowed into these new regions that rich planters would control the land leaving nothing available for common farmers. Although this bill never passed it was a rallying cry of the Free Soil party who held that admitting slavery into the West would freeze progress and the common man’s opportunity. Also, during the Presidential elections of 1848, there was an idea presented that the settlers of these new territories should be able to choose for themselves whether they desired slavery or not (Schultz, 2009). Consequently, California’s request to enter as a state into the Union caused the country and newly elected President Zachary Taylor extreme

Show More
Related

  • Paul Finkelman Defending Slavery Summary

    1545 Words  | 4 Pages

    The North had a very different opinion of the American way and made it exceedingly clear with the formation of numerous abolition societies, effectively abolishing slavery across the northern region and allowing blacks to live as productive members society, rather than its the property. Even one of the most prominent slave holders of that time was forced to rethink the legitimacy of slavery. “Seeing free black soldiers in action undermined [George] Washington’s racial prejudice and ultimately his support for slavery itself” (Finkelman 18). The productivity, societal and political benefits, and military empowerment made available by freed slaves challenged the South’s sense of racial supremacy, thus they began to establish a defense against the complete abolition of

    Read More

  • Sectionalism Versus Nationalism and the Era of Good Feelings

    627 Words  | 2 Pages

    The United States began to dissatisfy some of its citizens and so the concerns of sectionalism, or the split of the country began to arise. There was a continuous riff between the south and the north over a few issues, a major one being slavery. The south argued that the slaves were necessary to support the southern economy. According to document A, the south were angry that the north was creating taxes that hurt the southern economy, thus increasing the need for slavery since they had to make up for the expense of the taxes. The south felt that the north was able...

    Read More

  • territorial expansion dbq

    669 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the early to mid eighteen hundreds, there was great unrest across the country over territorial expansion. Half of the nation believed that it would be beneficial to the country if we expanded, while the other half were firmly opposed to expansion. Within the century, the United States managed to claim Texas, California, and the majority of Indian-owned lands. Opinions on this expansion were mixed around the country. Polls taken during the time period show that the majority of the south and west supported expansion, while northerns were opposed to it. (Document B) This was because the northerners had different values and beliefs than the southerners of westerners. Both the opponents and supporters of territorial expansion during the time period between 1800 and 1855, had a tremendous influence on shaping federal government policy. However, it can be argued that the supporters of territorial expansion had the largest impact. They were able to sway the federal government to create policies and new laws that were in favor of supporter’s beliefs.

    Read More

  • Major Problems in American Immigration History

    1424 Words  | 3 Pages

    The late 1800’s was a watershed moment for the United States, during which time the Industrial Revolution and the desire for expansion brought about through Manifest Destiny, began to run parallel. Following the end of the Spanish-American war, the United States found itself with a wealth of new territory ceded to it from the dying Spanish empire. The issue of what to do with these new lands became a source of debate all the way up to the U.S. Congress. Men like Albert J. Beveridge, a Senator from Indiana, advocated the annexation, but not necessarily the incorporation of these new l...

    Read More

  • The American Civil War: The Inevitable Confrontation

    1753 Words  | 4 Pages

    Since the beginning of the Market Revolution, the institution of slavery became the leading factor that intensified the relations between the North and the South. Regarding the geographic differences between the North and South, the South was primarily agrarian and the North was mainly urban. Therefore, the North rapidly industrialized while the South remained relatively rural and cotton-slave based. As a result, the Market Revolution economically separated the North and the South and created a second party system. Thus, the issues of pro-slavery and anti-slavery arose between the Southern Democrats and Northern Republicans in the 1850s. The North desired to halt the expansion of slavery into western territories while the South strongly opposed. These two opposing parties led to radical abolitionism in the North, William Henry Seward and John Brown, and extreme secessionism in the South, James Henry Hammond, and South Carolina Ordinance of Secession. Due to their strict ideologies regarding slavery, both parties could not compromise on the issue of the expansion of slavery. Therefore, according to Americans in the years prior to the Civil War, conflict was inevitable.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Irrepressible Conflict Between The North And South

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    The new territories and the discussion of whether they would be admitted to the Union free or slave-holding stirred up animosity. The Compromise of 1850 which offered stricter fugitive slave laws, admitted California as a free state, allowed slavery in Washington D.C., and allowed new territories to choose whether they wanted to be slave-holding or free was supposed to help ease tension between the North and South. Yet Southern states wanted more new territories to be slave-holders so the institution of it would continue to grow. They believed slavery was a way of life and as Larrabee said in his senate speech, “You cannot break apart this organization and this system that has intertwined itself into every social and political fiber of that great people who inhabit one-half of the Union.” (“There is a Conflict of Races”).

    Read More

  • Missouri Compromise Research Paper

    253 Words  | 1 Pages

    Once the new Western territories were added to the United States, slavery became a very important concern of Politics. Balancing the states with slaves with the states opposing slavery was a conflict when creating the Federal Government.

    Read More

  • The 1860 Presidential Election

    1204 Words  | 3 Pages

    The 1860 presidential election was one of the nation’s most memorable. The north and the south sections of the country had a completely different vision of how they envisioned their home land. What made this worse was that their views were completely opposite of each other. The north, mostly republican supporters, want America to be free; free of slaves and free from bondages. While on the other hand, the southern supporters, mostly democratic states, wanted slavery in the country, because this is what they earned their daily living and profit from.

    Read More

  • Slavery In Colonial America Essay

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first arrivals of Africans in America were treated similarly to the indentured servants in Europe. Black servants were treated differently from the white servants and by 1740 the slavery system in colonial America was fully developed.

    Read More

  • Second Great Awakening Dbq Analysis

    918 Words  | 2 Pages

    The social developments of the Second Great Awakening caused the american people to believe it was God’s will for the United States to stretch from the east coast to the west coast. As the U.S. expanded westward, what to do with the new territory was fiercely debated and widely discussed not only in federal government but amongst American citizens. With the nation rapidly growing, the people of the United States desperately need an answer on how to add new states into the union, if they should decide to add any territories in at all; however, in this desperate time the nation was divided in three crucial aspects. First, political parties debating over the issue of slavery in the new territories divided the U.S. into distinct political factions.

    Read More

  • The Compromise Of 1850 Essay

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    There became a big controversy over the spread of slavery in the West during the 1850s. The progress in the 1840s was massive and because the United States had acquired California, Texas, Oregon, Washington and New Mexico. Although the northerners were not hard-core abolitionists, they did protest the spread of slavery in the west. As for the Southerners was a necessary evil and they considered slavery as being a positive good (Schultz, 2010). The Democrats and the Whigs did not want to push the South aside by appearing to be totally against slavery and not being supportive of the South.

    Read More

  • Slavery In The Antebellum South

    574 Words  | 2 Pages

    Life for a slave in the antebellum South and a prisoner in Camp 14 was unbearable. The people in both situations had bad living conditions, food sources, and education. None of these people deserved to be treated like this but yet if they refused the punishments they had horrible consequences. In the South they got beaten with whips, raped, or sold to another slave owner. In Camp 14 they had a torchure building that they took people and torchured with fire and beaten, sometimes killed.

    Read More

  • Manifest Destiny: Westward Expansion

    515 Words  | 2 Pages

    The concept of territorial expansion or Manifest Destiny, if you will, came about in the 1840s and was said that the American people deserved to control the entire continent. But as with all ideas, there were some complications. The North and the South were becoming, for lack of a better word, hostile towards each other over disputes on slavery. Because the US was seizing control of new land, the status of slavery was at the top of everyone’s agendas. The US attempted to try and solve this conflict through the implementation of the Missouri Compromise, but to no avail. Even though territorial expansion seemed to be best for the growing country of the United States, or started a controversial debate over slavery.

    Read More

  • the development of slavery in America

    1202 Words  | 3 Pages

    Slavery was the main resource used in the Chesapeake tobacco plantations. The conditions in the Chesapeake region were difficult, which lead to malnutrition, disease, and even death. Slaves were a cheap and an abundant resource, which could be easily replaced at any time. The Chesapeake region’s tobacco industries grew and flourished on the intolerable and inhumane acts of slavery.

    Read More

  • Westward Expansion And The American Civil War

    284 Words  | 1 Pages

    With westward expansion, the question arose as to how these new territories/states would lean--slave or free. The north feared that the addition of slave states to the union would tilt the balance of power in the House and Senate, since such a state would send new representative/senators to Congress. The south feared the same thing--thinking that a tilt against slavery would be forced on the south.

    Read More

More about Slavery In The Northern States: A Case Study

Open Document