The Expansion of Slavery in the Early American Republic - Case Study Example

The Expansion of Slavery in the Early American Republic Introduction Perhaps nothing has altered the scope of American History more than the institution of slavery. Even though its practice was effectively eliminated nearly 150 years ago, the effects have been long lasting and have serve to continue to divide much of the country. From the formation of the country, as soon as the need for cheap labor was evident in order to plow the limitless amount of land that they new nation provide the settlers, slavery was looked to as a way to move America progressively forward. Black Americans have a storied history in the United States. This subordinate group, perhaps more than any other, is worth of deep sociological study and understanding. Discrimination, racism, and segregation are, sadly, a part of our past. Perhaps even more disturbing is the fact that deep resentment and feelings of consternation towards this valuable people group still pervades much of our society today1. By understanding the culture of Black America, we can begin to identify with wrongs that have been committed and seek compassionate ways to reach out and reverse these troubling trends. This is perhaps best understood by analyzing the expansion of slavery throughout the early years of the nation, and the impact that this one institution had on the development of not only Black culture, but American culture in general. Historians have largely agreed that the expansion of slavery in the United States was necessitated and spurred along by the vast amount of land available and the ability of that land to produce large amounts of agricultural crops. At the same time, there was a severe shortage of labor to account for the manpower that was needed during those times, so slavery quickly became a viable option. One question that enters into this discussion is related to the impact that the expansion of slavery had on social friction in the early years of the republic. It is important, therefore, to use this essay to discuss the impact that the institution of slavery, even though long since eradicated, continues to have on American society today. In addition, it is important to consider the question of how slavery contributed to the expansion and prosperity in the new nation, how this eventually led to the Civil War, and the outcomes therein. Both of these questions will be both discussed and answered in the ensuing sections. Agricultural Needs Lead to Slavery To begin this analysis, it is important to look at the various cultural components that are unique to African Americans. Upon doing that, it is also important to discuss the history and trace the issues of racism and discrimination throughout the history of the United States. Moving on in this discussion, it is important to take an honest look at the strengths, weaknesses, and unique challenges that have faced the African American family both historically, and from a more modern perspective. Many African Americans have overcome steep obstacles to become successful pillars of society. To speak up for all African Americans, there are several important leaders who are the voice to the problem of racial inequality. Many of these individuals rose up during the days of slavery with deep rooted convictions2. It was those beliefs that saw them through and eradicated the expansion and institution of slavery in the end. The expansion of slavery through the ages in American continues to impact society in such areas as employment, education, health care, criminal justice, politics, and residential segregation. Consider that the introduction of the cotton gin, the expansion of territory via acquisitions such as the Louisiana Purchase, and increasing trade with surrounding nations all fueled the need for more slaves. As the available manpower in the country was still low, plantation owners depended on the slave trade to bring about the needed production to make use of the farmland that was in plentiful supply. Out of this arose an expansion of the institution of slavery throughout the South, while further bridging a gap in American society between the North and the expanding West. Out of this arose a culture that was unique to the African American, resulting in a disruption to the existing way of life in America that continues to this day. African Americans as a whole have a unique culture and way of life than that of White Americans. Couple this is the fact that African American culture also differs by geographic region in the U.S. and the topic certainly merits a great deal of study. Black Americans are often misunderstood. One must realize that the hardships and tribulations experiences over the course of the past 300 years have contributed to a way of life that is often vastly different than the rest of mainstream society. Because of these differences, African Americans are often misunderstood and looked down upon by others in a particular locality. In recent years, many African immigrants have settled in America as well. This has provided yet a new diversity to the Black community in the United States. Black Americans, while striving to assimilate into White America, has always sought shelter among their own group. Family bonds are strong. Unfortunately, African Americans are more likely to live in poverty, be incarcerated, and exhibit signs of depression more than any other subordinate group. This lesson demonstrates the unique cultural elements to African Americans in an effort to bring about an understanding and appreciate of this often disenfranchised and important segment of our population3. Tracing the History of African Americans in the United States Any history lesson regarding the plight of American Americans in the United States need to begin with the study of their ancestors being forcibly bought to the United States as slaves. Largely bought to the Southern part of American, Black were not a real threat to anybody but the poorest of the Whites. While enslaved, Blacks did attempt several revolts, but they were met with increased suppression each time. Eventually slaves were freed and the leaders who called for them to be accommodated were openly praised in many circles4. The end of slavery did not mean an end to repression and resentment towards Blacks on the part of Whites. Slavery simply turned into discrimination. Discrimination turned in segregation. Segregation often turned into the violent mistreatment and even lynching of Blacks. Eventually the Civil Rights era of the 1960s were ushered in. While this has ‘eased the pain’ somewhat, pockets of racism and discrimination persist in communities nationwide. Throughout their storied history, Blacks have understandably differed among themselves in their willingness to form agreements with White segments of society. One thing is for certain: This chapter of our nation’s history is not yet complete. It is important to understand the history of African American in the United States so that we can better accept subordinate groups in the future. In the end, however, we still need to learn how to better accept the African Americans among us now that have contributed so much to our culture, yet have been treated so poorly for decades. Slavery Leading Up To the Civil War The Civil War was a difficult time for the entire nation, but perhaps no more so than for African Americans, both slave and free, throughout the country. Many would argue that the Civil War was fought over the Black man, and they would not be far off the mark. The War itself, however, elicited different emotions and feelings from African Americans on both sides of the North and South divide5. Most were cautiously optimistic that the institution of slavery would finally be eliminated and perhaps a semblance of equality would finally come to the country. While the latter was perhaps wishful thinking and did not really occur, the former did happen and that enabled African Americans to be reunited with their families and began to a life free from slavery. The past there, however, was far from easy. It is important to note that African-Americans did fight on both sides of the Civil War, Confederate and Union. Within the Union Army alone, there were over 179,000 African American men that fought in a total of over 160 units within the Army. In addition, many more men served in the Navy and in various support positions as necessary6. The individuals that fought in the Union Army were largely either free Blacks or runaway slaves who came from the South for the express purpose of enlisting in the Army to fight. They wanted to be in the war, as they saw it as the only way to finally get rid of slavery, as they had waited for far too long for the South to make any progress towards this end. During this same time period, African Americans in the South were still slaves and were only in the Confederate Army in one of a few various types of labor positions, such as cooks. It was not until 1865 that the Confederate Army actually allowed slaves to enlist in the army, but not surprisingly, very few actually did so. In considering the Union side, it should be noted that history reveals that free black men willingly and readily volunteered to fight for the Northern cause. It is true that African Americans had already been in the Army dating back to the Revolutionary War, and again in the War of 1812, but the army was largely still operating under a policy that barred African Americans from actually being armed while in conflict. At the time the Civil War began to break out, President Lincoln expressed some hesitation at the number of Blacks who joined the army, and hesitated to arm them, because he fear that doing so would lead some of the border states, namely Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri, to actually secede from the Union and join the Confederacy7. It should also be noted that, while Blacks were ready to joint the Union Army, not all White soldiers were willing to accept this. Prevailing policy from the outset of the War seemed to support this notion. In the beginning, Black soldiers fighting for the Union did not receive equal pay, nor were they treated as equals on the battlefield. An example of this is that Black soldiers were paid $10 a month, but received a mandatory $3 deduction per month to pay for their uniforms. White soldiers, on the other hand, were paid $13 and did not have deductions made from that salary. Gratefully, Congress actually reversed this policy in 1864 and issued backpay to all affected Black soldiers. Even with this treatment, however, most Black soldiers expressed that they were happy to be in the Army, as they saw this as the first signs of progress towards the building of a more equitable society8. Fugitive slaves also made their way to fight int he Union Army, but is was rather dangerous and precarious to do so. Fugitive slaves were worth a lot of money if captured and returned to the South, so those that did runaway to fight for the Union cause were fearful of their capture, so they had to remain a very low profile. Some on the Northern side were known to capture and return the fugitives in order to receive a reward. In addition, if Black soldiers were captured by the Confederacy, slave or free, they were treated quite harshly upon their arrival in the South. In the end, nearly 10 percent of the Union Army was Black, which amount to about 179,000 people. More than 20,000 African Americans also enlisted in the Navy during the Civil War. Out of this total, about 40,000 ended up dying, most by disease and not from fighting themselves. African Americans during the Civil War also served in various support roles, such as nurses, cooks, and blacksmiths. The South did not arm blacks because they feared an Armed rebellion. As such, those that did served in the Confederacy largely did so because they were forced, and even then the numbers were rather low. Interestingly, the Confederacy did pass a law in March 1865 that allowed Black slaves to become free if they agreed to fight in the Southern Army, providing they received approval from their masters. Very few actually took this offer. It is rumored that less than 50 actually did so, mostly because they wanted no part of fighting for a cause that, if won, would only extend slavery. Blacks in the South supported the Union cause and were very grateful when the North won. Conclusion9 Conclusion Throughout the history of human civilization, the citizenry of various countries have raged war against one another from time to time. This is, unfortunately, nothing new. As people and ideas advance, so does the competition for limited resources and the control of the land on which people reside. America is no exception to this. In fact, the events leading up to the American Civil War are perhaps unique to other such conflicts. America began small and quickly mushroomed in terms of population and ingenuity. To fuel this desire for growth, the country resorted to some questionable tactics, slavery chief among them, that began to divide the country by geographical region over time10. It truly was only a matter of time before these differences amongst regions would spill over into war, and that occurred less than a century into the nation’s young existence. To this day, the American Civil War remains as one of the bloodiest wars of all time, and one in which so modern day innovations to be used in times of battle were incorporated. In addition, the Civil War contained some of the greatest war generals in modern history, and many of the battles that took place during the four year conflict remain textbook examples of strategic planning and execution. In the end, there were reasons why the Confederacy failed in their attempts to truly secede from the Union, but their efforts nonetheless demonstrate how war has been used through the years to change the landscape of a nation and to uphold longstanding virtues and beliefs in an effort to mild society. The basis was the Civil War rested in the fact that seven states in the southern part of the country, all of which were labeled ‘slave states’ individually declared their desire to separate from the United States and form their own country. Known as the Confederate States of America immediately, they were never recognized as such by the Union, and America refused to honor their desire to secede from the rest of the country. As a result, war was declared. As a result of the war, the Confederacy actually grew to number eleven states, in addition to several western territories that they claimed for their own. It is important to note that at no time was the Confederate States of America ever recognized by any other foreign country. As such, the movement never had the legitimacy is likely needed in the eyes of the world in order to truly have a chance of winning the war. In the end, the Northern states were largely those considered to be non-slave states, which resulted in the notion that the Civil War was mostly fought over the issue of slavery. A particular point of contention was the Confederate States desire to see slavery expand into Western territories that were not yet states11. The war itself lasted four years and was extremely bloody. As this report will focus on one such battle, “The Battle of Bloody Angle”, it bears mentioning at this time that the entire scope of the American Civil War resulted in more than 600,000 soldiers on both sides being killed. In addition, the war ended up destroying much of the infrastructure that had been built to that point in the South, and to this day much of the region has never recovered economically. In the end, the Confederacy did collapse, slavery was ended, and a complex process of reconstruction was required into unify the country once again, in addition to see that the civil rights of the freed slaves were guaranteed12. Slavery expanded through the South perhaps like no other cultural revolution ever seen throughout the course of American history. As has been demonstrated by this essay, slavery impacted much more than just the lives of slaves, but it impacted an entire nation. Its expansion, even though limited to the South for the first century of the nation’s existence, dramatically altered the course of Northern politics and expansionary issues. It continues to impact the culture of African Americans today and is largely a divisive issue that still leaves deep rooted feelings amongst many. Bibliography Cooper, William J. Liberty and Slavery: Southern Politics to 1860. Charleston: The University of South Carolina Press, 2000. Davis, David Brion. The Problem of Slavery in the Age of Emancipation. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Davis, David Brion. The Problem of Slavery in the Age of Revolution, 1770 – 1823. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. DuBois, W.E. B. The suppression of the African American Slave Trade to the United States of America, 1638 to 1870. New York: Dover Publications, 1999. Finkelman, Paul. Slavery and the Founders: Race and Liberty in the Age of Jefferson. Armonk N.Y: M.E Sharpe, 2001. Gallagher, George. “The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern.” The Journal of American History 85 no. 1 (2008): 247. Grandin, Greg. The Empire of Necessity: Slavery, Freedom, and Deception in the world. New York: Metropolitan Books, 2014 Hammond, john Craig. “They are very much interested in obtaining an Unlimited Slavery: Rethink the Expansion of Slavery in the Louisiana Purchase Territories. 1803-1805. Johnson, Walter. “The Slave Trader, the White Slave, and the Politics of Racial Determination in the 1850s.” Journal of American History 87 (June 2000). Leonard, Edward. “Bloody Promenade: Reflections on a Civil War Battle.”. Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 93 no. 2 (2010): 225-227. Magnis, Nicholas, “Thomas Jefferson and Slavery: An anaylsis of his Racist Thinking as Revealed by His Writings and Political Behavior. Journal of Black Studies (29 March ) 491-509. Valentine, Samuel. “Major William Ellis, 49th New York Infantry at The Bloody Angle: A Conspicuous Target.” Military Images 32 no. 2 (2014): 51. Read More