Effect of Slavery on the Development of the United States
"If there is no struggle, there is no progress." This is what Frederick Douglass preached to black Americans during the harsh years of slavery in the US; he believed that blacks needed to fight for their rights. Slavery played an important role in shaping the young nation of America. The "shocking and bloody" practices of slavery slowed the country's development and criticized the morals and values of the American people stated in the Constitution. Slaves had become so tired of their awful conditions that they had begun resisting in several ways. Acts of vandalism, slave revolts, refusal to work and running away on the Underground Railroad were some methods of slave resistance that challenged the development of the United States. In these ways, slaves eventually gained their rights and equality, but with drastic, and lasting effects on the growth of the USA. Although slave revolts in the United States in the 1800s were not very frequent or major, they had significant impacts on whites as well as blacks. One of these revolts was led by Denmark Vesey, a former slave who purchased his freedom with his winnings from a lottery. Vesey's plan was to burn down Charleston, South Carolina and initiate a revolt of slaves in the area. The p
The system of American slavery could only be ended by a slave rebellion or a war; the United States was deeply entrenched in a system with very few options. Revolts challenged the development of the young, inexperienced United States because they caused conflicts and chaos within the Southern colonies. Prominent black figures such as Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth had significant roles in the movement towards abolishing slavery. Debates and concerns about slavery were a large part of America's chaotic history. Religion was also used as a means of control. These emerging activists, as well as the resistance of hundreds of slaves, caused people to question their faith in the American democracy and the Constitution. The nation could not truly, completely develop, as a democracy and a nation as a whole, until racism could be put aside and all Americans, white or black, rich or poor, Northern or Southern, could share the same rights and freedoms. Slaves were finally speaking up for their rights; they wanted to be heard, to make up for all those years of being treated like animals. Only then could the Constitution clearly and truthfully state that America believes "all men are created equal". Afterwards, Vesey's example was viewed as "one of the most courageous ever to threaten the racist foundations of America". Sojourner Truth was also a famous liberal speaker in the abolitionist movement, and gave speeches about women's rights and religion, mostly to white audiences. Another famous rebellion was that of Nat Turner's in Southampton County, Virginia. In Douglass's famous Independence Day Speech, he said "There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States at this very hour. The United States could only reach its potential when all people, white or black, shared all the same rights and freedoms.
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Acceptance Essays
