Was the American Civil War inevitable?
There are many events that lead to the American Civil War, but one thing is for sure; the extreme division between North and South came to a head in the 1850's. Stubborn politics and civil unrest in this period are what made this war inevitable. The South's enormous cotton industry had resulted in wealthy plantation owners investing all their money into slaves. While the New England depended on the cotton for textile mills, the northern economy found its strength in diverse investments. Wealthy New Englanders invested in the transportation revolution and westward expansion; both proving to be extremely profitable. This allowed abolitionist and anti-slavery views to spread in an area which was not so dependant on slave labor.Western expansion is really what opened up the dramatic sequence of events that were to unfold between 1850 and the Confederation's succession from the Union. When territories such as California, wished to enter into the Union, the question of whether they were to become free or slave states was of the greatest concern. The extreme dependence upon slavery in the South is what made the balance of power so vital to the southern economy. The Compromise of 1850 was the final attempt to please both sides a
Northerners tended to recognize slaves, thought not socially equal, as people instead of property. Though common, such practices were not spoken or heard of. While they targeted smaller and more radical audiences, they served as a voice for the movement; a voice which came at a price. Along with this ruling Congress lost all power over the matter of deciding whether soon to be inducted territories should be free or slave states. In protest, John Brown once again leads a raid of both African Americans and anti-slavery whites in an attempt to steal arms and begin a slave insurrection. Northern resentment of the Fugitive Slave Law was blatantly shown when a slave named Shadrach Minkins was rescued from the court by an angry mob and safely transported into Canada. Wealthy slave owners had always hired men to kidnap and return runaways but, after the compromise this threat was more present then ever. This was especially true in the case of free blacks and radical abolitionists. Though there was no escape from racism as a whole, the overall outlook on slavery in the north was negative. There was really no justice for the men and women taken by the slave catchers due to the fact that any black person could be snatched up. Despite Douglass's constant fear of being captured and thrown back into slavery, he continued to give public speeches and refused to leave the country. The court's decisions further agitated an already immensely tense situation and lead to even more violence. In the 1850's the courts sent 322 African Americans back into slavery opposed to only 11 who were found to be free. Now that they had witnessed such inhuman persecution at the hands of the slave owners, anti-slavery sentiment was at its highest.
Common topics in this essay:
Underground Railroad,
Wealthy Englanders,
African Americans,
Supreme Court,
Harriet Stowe,
North South,
Frederick Douglass,
Missouri Compromise,
John Brown,
Thomas Sims,
civil war,
north south,
slave law,
fugitive slave law,
slave owners,
fugitive slave,
division north south,
meeting halls,
popular sovereignty,
free slave,
compromise line,
soon inducted,
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Acceptance Essays
