Importance of Slavery in the Social Development of America and its Contribution to the Civil War - Research Paper Example

The Importance of Slavery in the Political and Social Development of Early America and its Contribution to the Civil War Even though America is believed to be the most civilized country in the world at present, it should not be forgotten that it was not so in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Slavery and race discrimination are still prevalent in America in many forms even though these things were abolished by law. The history of slavery in America was begun in the sixteenth century and was intensified during the subsequent centuries. In fact, Spain was responsible for the cultivation of slavery in America. They started to transport slaves from Africa to America during the sixteenth century. In the subsequent years, slavery became an economic, political and social factor in the development of early America, which resulted in the American Civil War or the American Revolution. This paper analyses the importance of slavery in the political and social development of early America and its contribution to the civil war. South America and North America were entirely different as far as the prominence of slavery was concerned. Negro slavery was absent in the North, whereas it occurred in many forms in the Southern parts of America in the last few centuries. “There has been one school of thought which regards presence of Negro slavery in the south and its absence in the north as the essence of sectional controversy” (Potter 30). From the onset, slavery had been the most serious cause of sectional conflict (Potter 52). In other words, the views and attitudes of the people in the southern and northern parts of America were different. People in the North were more liberal in their nature, attitudes and beliefs, whereas people in the South were more conservative in their thoughts. It should be noted that European countries such as Britain were in control of Southren America in the eighteenth century. Britain had colonies in most parts of the world during this period. Africa was in control of Britain during this period, which made the slave transportation from Africa to America an easier task. Howe pointed out that “almost 14 million Negros were held in hereditary slavery during this period in America” (Howe 52). Slavery in the eighteenth century has created many social changes in America. Exports of slaves from Africa to America happened frequently during this period. Even though an independent American state was established in the eighteenth century, the process of exportation of slaves from Africa to America has not stopped. Americans were not in a mood to give the luxury they enjoyed due to slavery. To sustain slavery as much as possible, they prevented black people from getting education, income and opportunities for employment. Even though human right issues were discussed very seriously in America during this period, nobody took slavery as a serious human right violation issue until the 1780s. In fact, the black community was not much interested in avoiding slavery in the eighteenth century. They were particular about improving their economic conditions rather than avoiding slavery or acquiring equal status with whites. Poverty was the biggest problem faced by the negros during this period. “For Negros, economic circumstances were more important than legal status (Slavery) in shaping their conditions of life” (Potter 31). It should not be forgotten that the negros were deprived of opportunities for education and, as a result of that, they were unaware of the things like human rights. For them, acquiring enough food at any cost was the major objective of their life. Even though dominant white people did everything possible to sustain slavery in America, they failed to prevent black people from becoming aware of freedom and liberty. For example, black people were used extensively for maritime employment by the white people in the eighteenth century. It was impossible for white people to execute maritime works without slaves. Maritime works were often done without much supervision from the white people. Thus black slaves had an opportunity to interact with variety of people and realise the oppression suffered by them. In other words, maritime works gave an opportunity for empowerment of the black slaves. As mentioned earlier, “North did differ profoundly from those of the south in their attitude toward slavery, if not toward the Negro”(Potter 38). In other words, North Americans were against slavery even though they treated blacks as second class citizens. “The apologetic attitude towards slavery was common in North America around 1815”(Howe 58). On the other hand, South was not ready to accept the arguments of the North. “The Jacksonian movement in politics, although it took the name of the Democratic Party, fought hard in favour of slavery and white supremacy” (Howe 4). Jacksonian democracy is a political movement organized by American politician Andrew Jackson in the eighteenth century to fight for greater democracy for the common man. Jacksonian democracy was popular in the South whereas it was not so in the North. “Many antislavery men believed that while slavery was sectional, negrophobia was national” (Potter 36). In other words, people in the North or the antislavery men tried to segregate slavery and negrophobia. They were in favour of negrophobia whereas they opposed slavery. This was because of the general feeling among the Americans about the white supremacy over black community in social life. In short, South supported both slavery and Negrophobia whereas North supported only negrophobia and opposed slavery. “The North South division was the major cause of American Civil War” (Potter 29), which started in 1861 and ended in 1865. It is estimated that over 618,000 casualties have occurred because of this civil war. The invention of cotton and slavery were associated with the American Civil War in many ways. The invention of cotton during the latter parts of the eighteenth century made huge changes in American economy. Cotton business was in need of a large amount of cheap labor, which was supplied by the black community, or slaves. In fact, the Southern America’s economy was revolving around cotton business, and hence slavery was essential for them to sustain their economic interests. On the other hand, Northern America’s economy was more associated with industry than agriculture. It should be noted that industry works require educated and skilled people. Since blacks were prevented from receiving education, they were unsuitable for industry works. In short, the contributions of slaves towards Northern America’s economy were negligible. In fact, the North purchased raw materials from the South and converted them into finished goods. In other words, North and South developed differently both socially and economically. “If North and South clashed politically, it was because of this general incompatibility and not because of the disagreement over slavery or any other single issue” (Potter 31). Moreover, Methodists movement or protestant Christianity started to grow in America in the eighteenth century. “Many early Methodists disapproved of slavery and even emancipated their own slaves at financial sacrifice” (Howe 178). Siting examples from Holy Bible, Methodists or Protestants argued against slavery. They encouraged black community to fight against oppression and dual standards in social life. Thus, American politics started to debate slavery much more vigorously during the early stages of the nineteenth century. “The chief issue in state politics in the early nineteenth century America was whether to introduce slavery or not” (Howe 209). American Civil War was started in 1861 between the proponents and opponents of slavery. Some states, especially the northern states, passed laws against slavery, whereas majority of the southern states were not ready to do so. A north south division was visible in American politics during the 1860 presidential elections, in which Abram Lincoln was successful. Southern states tried a lot to defeat Lincoln, since he was famous for his antislavery stands. They argued that Lincoln may preserve only the interests of the northern people and southerners may be forced to sacrifice many of their interests under Lincoln’s leadership. Even before the 1860 presidential election, seven southern states had separated from the American Union: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. In short, the 1860 presidential election was a testing time for American politics. Until the 1860 presidential election, southern state politicians had controlled the federal government effectively. It should be noted that majority of the presidents elected before 1860 were from the southern states. Naturally, they were more interested in protecting the interests of southern states. There were numerous free states and slave states in America during the early parts of the nineteenth century. Free states were states which prohibited slavery, whereas slave states were states which allowed slavery. American politicians were keen in maintaining a balance between the number of free states and slave states, while considering the application of states to join the America’s federal system. For example, in 1820, Maine joined the federal system as a free state while Missouri joined it as a slave state. Thus the balance has been maintained. However, this balance has been disturbed in 1850, when California joined America as a free state. The balance between free states and slave states in America was further disturbed when Minnesota and Oregon joined America as free states in 1858 and 1859 respectively. In short, two separate regions, one in favor of slavery and another against it, have started to function in American politics during the second half of the nineteenth century. The political, social and economic gap between the South and the North started to widen during the latter parts of the nineteenth century. North developed rapidly because of heavy industrialization, whereas South developed slowly because of its over-reliance on agricultural revenues. Thus, North and South started to travel in different directions. It was difficult for the federal political system to cater the contrasting needs of these parts of the country, and this has led to the American Civil War. To conclude, the importance of slavery in the political and social development of early America and its contribution to the civil war cannot be neglected under any circumstances. Northern and southern states of America kept different views with respect to slavery even though both supported negrophobia. The economy of the South was heavily dependent on agriculture revenues, whereas that of the North was heavily dependent on revenues from industries. Since slaves were the largest part of the workforce in the agricultural sector, slavery was essential for the growth of the South. On the other hand, the North had no such requirements, since slaves’ contributions were negligible in the industrial sector. These contrasting needs caused huge differences between the North and the South, and this has finally led to the American Civil War. Works Cited Howe, David Walker. What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 (Oxford History of the United States). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print.   Potter, David M. The Impending Crisis: 1848-1861. New York: Harper & Row, 1976. Print. Read More