Introduction
Slavery had been an issue in the United States since its founding and the Revolutionary War. The problem of slavery was exacerbated when more territory was added, raising political tension. For instance, the North did not like repression on moral and economic grounds. At the same time, the South was worried about the loss of its power in case more free states would enter the Union. Most of the history of the 1800s is about putting off the conflict by making compromises. Concessions of the early 1800s of whether annexed territories would be free or slave states led to intensified convictions by abolitionists and slaveholders.
Arguments Southerners Used to Defend Slavery
The Southerners perceived abolitionists as fanatics, completely misrepresenting the Southern lifestyle. They were heavily invested in slavery, defending it as an economic necessity.
For example, whites from the South argued that the termination of slavery would have a disastrous effect on the region’s economy since slave labor was the cornerstone of their economic prosperity (US History 2019). They claimed that rice would become unprofitable, tobacco crops would perish in the fields, and the cotton sector would crash (US History 2019). Some feared that freeing all enslaved people would create widespread unemployment and chaos, leading to anarchy, bloodshed, and uprisings. During the French Revolution, the “rule of terror” enforced by crowds served as a reference point to uphold the status quo (US History 2019).
Second, the slaveholding class in the region used the Bible to justify slavery by recognizing its existence and the history of master-servant relations expressions in the book. In their view, various aspects of the Bible supported the use of servants and the widespread slavery throughout the Roman world.
Third, human progress requires elite cultivation of society; some people must reign over others. Southerners believed whites should engage in more intellectual and scientific innovations while blacks do all the hard labor. Finally, the notion of paternalism was cited by enslavers due to the belief that enslaved people were better cared for than in the Northern states and people experiencing poverty in Europe (US History 2019). Many slaveholders thought they were more companionate and pathetic to enslaved people, doing what was best for them.
Slave Resistance
Enslaved people engaged in a variety of resistance tactics, where much of the rebellion was intended to revolt against the daily conditions of their bondage. Faking illness, working slowly, delivering subpar work, and misplacing or breaking tools and equipment were a few of the less mild forms of defiance. The story of Frederick Douglass reveals firsthand strategies blacks used to resist slavery, such as escaping, joining antislavery movements, and educating themselves (Douglass 1845). Although most runways like Douglass ultimately came back voluntarily or resold, they often negotiated with their masters to show they could run away whenever they wanted if not accorded dignity and some freedom.
One of the most striking and dramatic slave resistances of the era was the Nat Turner rebellion. West African men drew on their military training in this revolt to organize an insurgence against South Carolina slaveholders (Tomlins 2020). They planned the uprising with a keen understanding of the local, political, and social conditions. Therefore, the group organized their revolution to take place just before a law allowing white people to carry guns to church went into effect. Accordingly, the rebels had no qualms about fighting their revolt for freedom by striking out slaveholders known to be cruel, violent, and exploitative.
Roles of Enslaved People During the Civil War
From the start of the Civil War, emancipation and military service were linked problems. Despite the fight for freedom, enslaved and free men were enlisted to serve in the Confederate armies (McPherson 2014). Thousands of African Americans were compelled to work as teamsters, chefs, bodyguards, and laborers to sustain the troops (McPherson 2014). Nevertheless, enslaved people held in the Confederacy weakened the Southern course in a variety of ways during the war. By doing this, they significantly contributed to their liberation and the expansion of the war’s objectives, including the abolition of slavery and the restoration of the Union.
Slaves fled the South, denying the Confederacy valuable economic resources and encouraging others to run away. Their knowledge of their territory made them excellent spies and guides for Union troops in the South. It shows the ingenuity enslaved people brought to the challenge of weakening the Conversion troop from within. Therefore, they are primarily considered a liability to the Confederate battle effort.
Problems Emancipated Slaves Faced
The story of the liberation has mainly focused on how the war gave freed people access to political freedom, economic opportunity, and education. However, the postwar free Africans entered an environment marked with conflict, in which more soldiers died of diseases (Schwalm 2017). Similarly, formerly enslaved people were left with no property, jobs, or institutionalized structure to help them survive.
The emancipation law proposed by Abraham Lincoln to distribute the land of wealthy enslavers among their black servants did not yield anything when a new president rose to power. All the efforts made by Lincoln that entailed compensation of former slaves became a pipe dream when President John took over, saving former slaveholders’ lands (Schwalm 2017). A plan that was called sharecropping enabled plantation owners to exploit newly freed black farmers by making them work on their farms in return for a small portion of the crop. On paper, plantation owners were leasing the land to black farmers, but the revenue share was unfair (Schwalm 2017). It was a workaround to deny black farmers fair wages, who had no other skills other than picking cotton.
Subsequent amendments in the South also created black codes and laws to segregate and discriminate against black citizens. For instance, the Vagrancy laws made under black principles enabled the police to arrest and try any black citizen under the crime of unemployment. It is obvious to assume how unfair these trials were, and they always ended with the accused being punished with hard labor.
Congress’ Effort to Guarantee Freed Slaves the Right of American Citizen
After the Civil War, the Southern states could count 100% of the formerly bondage people, ensuring Democrats from the South returned to Congress in greater numbers. It allowed them to fight the Republicans to safeguard their interests and bar previously enslaved populations from becoming citizens. In response, the Republicans in Congress created the Congressional Reconstruction Plan, which prohibited Northern states re-admission into the Union until they drafted new laws that guaranteed Black citizenship rights. Despite the fierce rivalry, the Republicans passed the 14th and 15th Amendments, guaranteeing due process in law and voting rights to freed blacks (McPherson 2014). Therefore, Congress’ effort to accord the recently released black population the rights of American citizens was successful.
Bibliography
Douglass, Frederick. 1845. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. New York: Clydesdale Press.
McPherson, James. 2014. The Struggle for Equality Abolitionists and the Negro in the Civil War and Reconstruction. Princeton University Press.
Schwalm, Leslie. 2017. “US Slavery, Civil War, and the Emancipation of Enslaved Mothers.” Slavery & Abolition 38 (2): 392–407. Web.
Tomlins, Christopher. 2020. In the Matter of Nat Turner. Princeton University Press. Web.
US History. 2019. “The Southern Argument for Slavery”. Web.