Discuss The Three Competing Notions In The Era Of Freedom

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The Three Competing Notions in the Era of ‘Freedom’ After the Civil War ended in 1865 there were three competing notions of freedom concerning the want for independence, the end of slavery with the recreation of the Northern economy, and the persistent desire for white supremacy. Separation was drawn between the white Northerners and Southerners, as well as the freed Blacks. Each one began to assert their ideas of freedom, interpreting what this freedom meant personally, and for the nation as a whole. The North wanted to end slavery, and recreate the South in what they saw as moral. The Southern whites wanted to return to the life attained before the Civil War, by practically maintaining control through white supremacy. The freed Blacks and slaves wanted their own independence through community strengthening, without the interference of white power. All of these notions …show more content…

The North believed that slavery was morally wrong, economically damaging, and should be destroyed with due punishment to the South for starting the war. As far as the economy, they wanted the Southern economy to become stable by providing the North with a market system and materials, like cotton, for Northern factories. Along with the economy, the Northern business leaders sought to replace the slavery system with a wage system. After the Civil War, the Republican Party planned the Union League in Northern cities. This Union became a platform that supported slaves with the right to vote and limited discriminations among the Black community. Along with the Union, the Northerners fought for Congressional acts, such as Freedmen’s Bureau that supported Black communities through providing food, clothing, and other services, further serving to fully end the hatred aftermath of the Civil

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