The Rise of the Anti-Slavery Movement in the US

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Throughout the history of America, the struggle between white and black Americans is by the far the most complex and long standing issue. Beginning with first contact between white Europeans and Africans during the English colonial period, Africans were immediately labeled with terms including savage and heathen. During the Antebellum period, institution of chattel slavery in America certain ideas of what the black man’s role in society became widely known and accepted. Stereotype such as the Sambo, the Zip Coon, the Buck, and the Mammy, became very common particularly after slavery was abolished. Although they are gross caricatures, these representations and images left lasting impressions which effects can be seen even in contemporary culture today. Furthermore, these particular representations have deep seated roots that can be traced back to slavery and even further to the first white European and African encounter. As time changes from the Colonial period to the antebellum period, the institution of slavery became more violent and Racialized leading up to the Civil war.
The early settler in the Chesapeake area found tobacco to be quite a cash crop with growing demand for its use in Europe. Tobacco was a very labor intensive crop and the planters tried various methods to fill their labor quotas. At first they attempted to enslave the Native Americans whom tended to run away if they survived the diseases of the colonist. Another source of labor was white indentured servants coming from a depression saddled Europe. Increasing mortality rates and then an economic boom limited the number of poor whites willing to risk everything to come to the new world. The first African Americans came over as indentured servants. White colonist ...

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...put extra effort into making slaves submissive, and new law such as the fugitives lave act of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska compromise played a major role in restricting slave rebellion.
However, as time passed industrialization started influencing the non-agricultural regions of Americas. Hence, two distinct types of economies emerged as well as the consequent friction between the two. Those who remained dependent on agriculture needed slavery as an economic factor; but those who were industrialized did not, thus they had no reason not to oppose slavery as a moral issue. Although many northerners claimed that slavery was wrong because it was a issue of moral and religion, it was more of an economically problem. The industrialization and expansion out west give rise to anti-slavery movement as slavery underwent dramatic changes from the colonial to antebellum period.

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