Douglas Senatorial Debates - Essay Example

Lincoln was prophetic in leading the nation to the Civil War until attaining the basic privileges for Black. Firstly, the presence of good people to be governed is an important requirement of a strong government; the second condition is the availability of efficient and effective people who can rule over a mass population without any discrimination or bias; and further for easy and good governance, the government has to develop right qualities, values and skills in its people (“Good government”).

Everyone must have equal opportunities to bring out one’s full potential. Disparity in treatment cannot be tolerated at any point of time. But the condition in America prior to the bloody civil war was really contradicting. Only a half of the population was regarded to be good people to be governed. The rest was not considered as citizens though their forefathers lived there even before the migration of the whites. The people who came to power were also in a disposition to treat them as aliens and slaves.

The evidences of the prevalence of slavery even in the early half of the 17th century is available from the plantation economy of southern Virginia. Most importantly, slavery is considered to be the reason for American civil war. American civil wars mainly emerged from the southern part where the evil had been highly endemic. The issues that emerged prior to the civil war were due to the sectional conflict over the slavery issues. The southern part of America was always prospering while the north was in misery.

It is the occupants of the north who strongly opposed slavery. As Elliot points out, slavery badly affected the general education in America. While the white people had quality education; the colored and the slave who constituted vast majority of the population was deprived of it. The deprived population was not aware of their rights until some of them got educated. Moreover, the principle upon which the relation between the master and the slave was entirely in conflicting with the principles of a free government (117-118).

The mass population under slavery and harassment were much need of a new framework that would provide them a better say in all the spheres of the government. As Nosotro points out, subsequent to the emergence of two sections and conflicts in opinions, anti slavery societies were formed in North America and revolutionaries raised their voice publically against the cruelties and injustices inflicted on the colored; and in northern America, many religious groups tried for the abolition of slavery, for they could not agree with the idea of owning a person by another.

They published newsletters propagating the idea of prohibiting slavery and giving freedom to the blacks. At this juncture, the downtrodden blacks realized that it was the right time for a combined rebellion. In a country where democratic principles are followed, every citizen has the right to take part in the parliamentary procedures. The people’s rights are not determined on the basis of their caste or creed. Unless everyone is treated equally, there can be no good governance. The economical inequality between the Northern and the Southern states acted as another reason towards the sectional conflict.

The states in the Northern part of America were industrially stronger. On the other hand, the Southern states were frequently depending on a single cotton crop. They