Slavery Dbq

Within the Southern community during the late 1700s, the large barrier of slavery divided people in their mentality, geography, and social status. In one point of view, it was simply a part of life that helped the economic growth of the community and was deemed substantial and correct through misunderstood biblical references; however, many people voiced an opposing opinion to the fact of the equality of all men and the immorality of slavery. While both communities believed their opinion was best for the common good, those who truly took action lead the United States to a higher sense of morality and justice throughout the years.
During the events leading up to the Civil War, the Southern position voiced their opinions and logic through two

very important notions of the time: religion and money. Two main points that their argument comprised were the economic advantages of slavery and biblical references they believed would support their cause. While those two things were very fact-based, the underlying reason they gained support was their implementation of fear. Whether that was fear of economic instability in the South due to the large impact that slave emancipation would have on the farming community or fear of dangerous slave revolts throughout the cities, the South defended their position well by ensuring it would impact everyone and not only the slaves. They claimed their dependency and reliance on the slavery, and not only imposed fear on their community but also a sense of civic nationalism towards the South against the North. This engaged citizens in a sense of pride in the confederation and a sense of resentment to any ideas the North imposed on them, which lead to issues of authority and rights of who should govern.
However, there was a widespread theme of immorality concerning slavery and whether all men were created equal.

While many of the founding fathers had contributed to this theme and theory, the most significant and involved founding father was Benjamin Franklin, because of his courage and passion toward the abolition of slavery. This passion grew and inspired many others with the same ideals to rise up and make an impact, and his value to the nation helped create an atmosphere of importance that could not be overlooked by the confederacy. Through his dedication and search for justice, he rallied and inspired many people to take a stand for the truth, freedom, and rights for all mankind. An example of the effects of this courage is how the constitution “empowered congress to take whatever action it deemed ‘necessary and proper’ to eliminate the stigma in traffic in human beings” (83) as well as his physical presence in the House to insist on the abolition of slavery. In one perspective, the South tried to escape this aspect of immorality by backing up slavery with Bible references claiming that it was appropriate; however, these references were misunderstood and went against the basic codes of humanity and equality. The unethical and dishonorable treatment of slaves leads my opinion to agree with Benjamin Franklin’s in that all men (and women) are created

equal.
Ellis’ writings provided a different perspective on slavery and clarified how both the North and the South believed their opinion was correct.

Previous to Ellis’ writings, I understood the South to recognize that their actions were morally wrong; however, their judgement may have been clouded by feelings of fear and limitations in areas such as finances, social status, and ethics according to the Bible. This has lead to a realization point for my personal respect for Benjamin Franklin and his perseverance for what was ethically right and for a higher standard of moral living. It has shown Franklin in a different way than I had previously recognized him, because now his leadership qualities and moral courage are much more apparent. Through Ellis’ perspective, the challenges and trials Franklin had to overcome were much clearer as was his passion toward the abolishment of slavery. Not only have these writings brought to light Franklin in a new perspective, but have also shown a new side to the events leading up to the war: for example, there was major confusion of where the authority was placed. Trials and conflicts arose because of the debate of whether the North should have a decision over those in the South, whether congress should be prominent in decision making, and whether the central government should have dictation over the state governments. All were valid, logistical arguments brought up by both sides, but had only recently come to attention through the writings of

Ellis in the Founding Brothers novel. Through the new way of seeing the events previous to the war, the thoughts of slavery being very immoral and unethical make the most sense to me over smaller logistics such as a decline in the economy. Personally, though the decline in the economy and fear of revolts were much more factual, it should make sense that there is an order of importance. In this order, above all else should be love, morality, and care for those around us, which then clarify and help the views of Benjamin Franklin and I become much more apparent.
Through the difficult time of the emancipation of slavery in the late 1700s, many opinions were voiced. Some were heard louder than others, which were the voices of moral codes and ethical understanding. Throughout the conflicts, leaders arose, opinions formed, and the large barrier of slavery between the North and the South was one step closer to closing.