Slavery is The South
Slavery played a dominating and critical role in much of Southern life. In thestruggle for control in America, slavery was the South's stronghold and the hidden motivebehind many political actions and economic statistics. By dominating Southern life, slaveryalso dominated the economic and political aspects of life in the South from 1840 to 1860. By the 1840's and 50's the Southern economy had almost completely become slave and cash crop agriculture based. Without slaves in the south a person was left eitherlandless and penniless or struggling to get by on a small farm. However, even thoughslaves dominated the southern economy, slaveholders only included about 2 to 3 percentof the population. This small percentage was the amount of people successful in a slavebased, cash crop agricultural, Southern economy. Therefore, the Southern economy was
Taney went even further in his decision to declare theMissouri Compromise unconstitutional and rule slavery could not be forbidden anywhere. All of thesethings under the Compromise and the reaction they caused led to slavery becoming aneven more dominating issue in 1850 America. The South depended on slaves to fuel their economy andtherefore slavery dominated their economy. The Compromise of 1850 was another weaksolution to the dominating problem of run-away slaves and the issue of slavery in newterritories. Dred Scott was a slave who had been taken into a free territory byhis owner. Ina way, it even caused the Civil War and in the end was perceived as the main reason forfighting it. Slavery lead and dominated the South'seconomy and political actions. The compromise also made California afree state, the Mexican Cession subject to popular sovereignty, and dictated that therewould be no slave trade in Washington D. One important act that fueled the slaverydominated political world of 1840 to 1860 was the Kansas and Nebraska act written byStephen Douglas. Slavery dominated all political issues. Many Northerners, Abolitionists, and "Free-Soilers" were infuriated by this decision. This act repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and called forpopular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska which under the Missouri Compromise hadbeen free. A Georgia editor in 1860 commented; "Negro Slavery is the South, and the Southis Negro Slavery", an absolutely true statement.
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