The Moral Arguments and Political Actions of Those Who Opposed to the Spread of Slavery - Essay Example

Spread of Slavery: The Mexican War and Kansas-Nebraska ActThe institution of slavery was quite strong in the 19th century in the United States of America and the country was divided into two factions (North and South) with one opposing and the other favoring slavery. The moral arguments of those of opposed slavery and their political actions will be discussed in this paper. The Mexican War of 1846 played a major role in the expansion of slavery and so did the Kansas-Nebraska act.

Both can be seen as attempts to extend slavery to national levels. The Mexican War and annexation of Texas started a debate on whether slavery should be made legal or not in regions that were annexed from Mexico. The Kansas-Nebraska act also pushed the country into civil war and divided the nation into two factions. The act also gave rise to a new Republican Party arguing the abolishment of slavery. The arguments of Republicans against slavery were based on morality. Republicans treated everyone equally and considered freedom the most basic right.

Lincoln said in his famous Lincoln-Douglas Debate “I agree with Judge Douglas he is not my equal in many respects—certainly not in color, perhaps not in moral or intellectual endowment. But in the right to eat the bread, without the leave of anybody else, which his own hand earns, he is my equal and the equal of Judge Douglas, and the equal of every living man” (Lincoln). It is important to note that those who opposed slavery were not in favor of total social equality between people of all races.

However, they believed that blacks were also humans and they should be treated with respect. Lincoln was actually afraid that popular sentiment would be in favor of slavery and then it would be impossible to demolish the institution of slavery from America forever. The moral arguments of Republicans were not ideal but still, they provided room for some sort of acceptance of blacks. They were saying that blacks were not equal but this does not mean that their freedom should be taken away. Social equality was not argued but practicality and humanity were made the basis for the abolishment of slavery.

The famous poet James Russell Lowell called those people slaves who did not dare to speak for the weak (344). He was a poet who was strongly against slavery and his poems reflected his passion for the abolishment of slavery. He considered slavery immoral and devoted his poetry against it. Wilmot Proviso can be seen as an attempt to curb the spread of slavery and mitigate differences between pro and anti-slavery politicians. It was presented by Democrat David Wilmot and the Proviso called for a ban on slavery in new territories acquired from Mexico.

The proposal failed to pass Senate but it can be seen as a political attempt to abolish slavery. People who opposed slavery were also against the Mexican War and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Anti-slavery politicians like Lincoln were against the idea of a new state that would allow slavery. Also, the Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed popular sovereignty to decide whether slavery should be banned or not in these areas. This act was abused vehemently by politicians of the North.

Debate at Ottawa, Illinois, 1858. Print Lowell, James Russell. A Stanza of Freedom. From An American Anthology, by Edmund Clarence Stedman, 1900. Print