Assignment Sample solution

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Name:
Source Time:
Paper Title: How did Americans black and/ or white respond to shifting interpretations of the
role of slavery in American society by the start of the Civil War in 1861?

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Introduction
Slavery played a very important role at the time of the American Civil War. During the 17th and
the 18th centuries it was found that the people were kidnapped from Africa and were forced into
slavery in the American colonies and was also exploited so that they worked as indentured labor
and servants in the crop production such as cotton and tobacco. By the mid of 19th century,
westward expansion of America and the abolition movement led to the great debate on the slavery
that ended up tearing up of the nation into a bloody civil war.
Slavery before the Civil war
For a number of decades, the role played by slavery on the civil war is considered to be a debate.
Most of the historians are of the opinion that slavery and the status of African Americans were in
crisis that led to the US into a civil war from 1861 to 1865. This implied that the average union
soldier went to war so as to end slavery, while there were some who were interested in preserving
the Union. At the beginning the North’s goals was to preserve the Union and not emancipation. At
the time of the war, there was 180000 African Americans serving the US (William, Davidson, and
Brown, 2005). The main reason for slavery to become gripped during the 1860 to 1861 go well
prior to nation’s founding. Slavery was introduced in the year 1619 when a Dutch ship for
procuring food traded using African slaves. Since there was no option for importing slaves, the
whites they were increasingly inclined to import of slaves from Africa (NPS, 2019). By early
1700s, the British administered North America faced slavery i.e. African slavery. The use of the
slave labor for production of southern plantation helped in exporting crops such as rice, tobacco,
indigo and forest products and this is the reason for the American colonies to be largely benefitted.
A number of northern merchants were able to earn fortunes through slavery trade or through
exporting product manufactured by slaves. The development of the North America was because
of African slavery. Prior American Revolution of 1775, slavery existed in all 13 colonies, there

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was a contradiction felt by the Americans as they felt a contradiction between the existence of
slavery and independence for human equality. A response to contradiction, led the Northern states
decide to phase out the slavery through Revolution. A debated existed on the future of slavery in
the South and there was a hope that it would be going to disappear also.
Slavery and the Economy
The hope towards the end of the slavery in the South American diminished because of the invention
of cotton gin by Eli Whitney. This machine led the textile mills to utilize the cotton that is grown
in the South. During that time, there was a huge demand for cotton. The production of the cotton
in South America in the 1840s earned a lot more money than most of the US exports combined.
A number of white South African believed that the viability of cotton depended to a great extent
on slave labor (William, Davidson, and Brown, 2005). Over the passage of time, most of the
individuals considered that for the way of life African slavery was some that was inseparable.
Slavery was considered as a primary reason for the dispute but there was an also remarkable
difference between the North and South America respectively. North was found to get
industrialized rapidly (NPS, 2019). There was huge influx of immigrants in search of work and
women were seen to seek for more opportunities in the cities. Inexpensive labor group consisted
of women and immigrants. The rise in the industrialization led to increase in the production of
textiles as a result there was a huge demand for slave labor (LOC 2019). For the development of
the industries, the entrepreneurs they wanted for protection from the cheap imports from European
nations. South America was mainly categorized into small town and huge plantations (NPS, 2019).
The overall cotton industry was dependent upon slave labor and cheaper imports. Fear in the mind
of the Southern Americans strike because they felt that if there was Congress control in North
America then there would be takes on the imports and that could ruin the South Americans. Voice

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was raised by Southern American John Calhoun stating that the state could protect interest through
nullification of the act of the federal government it considered as unfair and unconstitutional. For
self-protection, the sovereignty of the state was considered by a number of Southern Americans.
Political Unrest
In response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, a direct response was made by the Republican Party.
There was an opposition made by the Republicans towards the extension of the slavery in the
territories. Deep angry aroused by the party in the South and the attitude of two sections was in a
severe state in the late 1850s. A decision was made by the Supreme Court of the US to consider
the Americans of the African descendent was not US citizens and had no right to sue. The Missouri
Compromise was considered to be unconstitutional by the court and stated that the federal
government were not given the authority to prohibit slavery in the territories. A powder keg ignited
with John Brown and the followers attempting to capture federal arsenal so that the weapons could
be stored to incite a slave insurrection in the South. Brown was able to capture the engine house
but the Army led by Colonel Robert Lee overran the building. After the raid, Brown was hanged
and that led the hope for peaceful end of the slavery to become a remote affair (LOC 2019).
Because of the slavery in a number of territories led to be demand for Presidential Election of
1860s.The first party to advocate towards the abolition of slavery was the Republican Party. In the
1850s, politics was dominated by the Democratic Party. John Breckenridge and the southern
democratic platform advocated towards the protection of slavery in the regions that existed and
the territories. It was only Lincoln who hoped to achieve a peaceful solution bur when it was
considered to resupply the US army troops at Charleston Harbor in April, 1861 then there was fire
on the fort by the confederate forces. The call for 75000 volunteers by Lincoln for putting down
the rebellion led Arkansas, North Caroline and Virginia to enter the Confederacy.

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Conclusion
The aim of the war for the American African was for freedom .However, Lincoln stated that it
was not due to slavery but was considered as a very through which the Union could be preserved.
This is the reasons the African Americans were not given permit to enlist. There was a great deal
of confusion on the policies related to escaping slaves. There was a few slaves that took refuge in
the contraband camps and some fled to the Union line. The camps helped the Black Americans to
enjoy freedom and education. Slavery was indeed quite intense and freeing the African American
was the main concern of the Civil war. It was found that by the end of there was still 186000 Black
men in the Union Army. Their performance was heroic although there was a huge discrimination
in the form of equipment, ration and pay.

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Reference
LOC 2019. Pre-Civil War African Americans. [online] Available at:<
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/
timeline/expref/slavery/> [Accessed 4 December 2019]
NPS, 2019. Slavery: Cause and Catalyst of the Civil War. [pdf] Available at:<
https://www.nps.gov/shil/learn/historyculture/upload/slavery-brochure.pdf> [Accessed 4
December 2019]
William, R.Y, Davidson, R and Brown, T.L., 2005. A constant struggle: African American History
1619-1865. New York: Kendall.