John Stuart Mill, The Contest in America (1862) Report - Book Report/Review Example

Besides, Mill points out that the motive of Southern States is not to emancipate the slaves, but to install narrow minded political agenda to secure vote. Mill makes clear that the Southern States are against human liberty but the British government is totally against the idea of spreading slavery. So, the fight against slavery is the battle between good and evil. The government in America (say, Abraham Lincoln government) is not able to protect the British interest in America. Within this context, the Southern leaders are interested in the political side of slavery and the freedom of the salves.

The idea of emancipation of slaves helped Abraham Lincoln to be the President of America. But the Southern States made use of slavery as a political tool and are blaming the same on no grounds. Mill opines that the most important factor of slavery in North America is the need of human resource in cotton cultivation. On the other side, the Southern States are more interested to sustain slavery and to treat the slaves in an inhuman manner. Mill further adds that the British decision in opposing the separation of the 13 colonies in America was an erroneous act.

The Separatists, who are against the union does not consider the will of the slaves as important. Mill opines that there exists less scope for the Northern States to overpower the Southerners. But a war which is intended to protect people from injustices and with a noble purpose is praiseworthy. Concluding, Miller makes clear that the struggle undertaken by the Northern States is to be considered as a moral war for justice. Discussion The author argues that the aim of the Southern States during the American Civil War was strictly limited to the sphere of politics.

Mill makes clear that “They tell the world, and they told their own citizens when they wanted their votes, that the object of the fight was slavery” (12). According to the author, the politicians at the side of the Southern States considered the issue of slavery as a golden opportunity to install separatism among the people and to be independent from the federal government. To an extent, this argument was true because the political significance of slavery helped the Southern leaders to put forth the idea of freedom.

At the same time, the author argues that British decision to counter the separation of American colonies was a historical error. The author indirectly reveals his interest in the internal affairs of the United States of America. Besides, Mill begins his essay by pointing out his attitude towards slavery. Then, he further goes on to describe the political agenda behind the Separatist attitude of the Southern States. The significance of the American Civil War cannot be limited to the sphere of injustice because it extends to other spheres like democracy and human dignity.

Apart from the argument of the author, one can easily identify that war cannot solve all the problems within the federation of states. Instead, mutual understanding and co-operation can resolve almost all issues. Mill states that “But war, in a good cause, is not the greatest evil which a nation can suffer” (31). Within this context, the main aim of the American Civil War was not to capture the ultimate control and to expand slavery. Instead, the American Civi