Slavery Dbq

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at the National Negro Convention in 1843 explains the political stance the North had on slavery. Garnet states that slavery is a sinful degradation to make someone voluntarily submit to you, that to ignore and to continue the mistreatment of these people shall only make you face God’s wrath in the end. He stresses the luxury of liberty and that we as people must have compassion and end slavery (Doc D). Here Garnet is simply justifying and stating the claims of many. How can America believe in freedom and equality if slavery exists? Several Northerners feared that slavery would ruin the image America had. It would give them the reputation of being hypocritical, and overall an immoral country. This claim is also addressed by President Lincoln.

​President Abraham Lincoln continues the point of freedom in a speech given at Peoria, Illinois in 1854 (Doc F). Lincoln advises that America not profit from the Negro, to consider how African Americans are being treated as he believes slavery would tarnish the image America has created in regards to freedom of oppression. Not only did Northerners and anti-slavery believers express the horrors of slavery through art but through literature as well. A poster of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin is depicted as a book that sold many copies already (Doc H). Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a story of the harsh life of slavery as it follows different slaves and their attempted paths to freedom. Uncle Tom’s Cabin exploded into popularity as it became one of the most read books in the nineteenth century. Connecticut born and a strong abolitionist, Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote the book in response to the Fugitive Slave Act passed in the South. The Fugitive Slave Act by law requires escaped slaves that were caught to be returned to their masters and even slave captured in free states had to abide by these rules. Stowe’s novel was so inspiring and eye opening that many were lead to believe it was the book that started the Civil War.

​The sectionalism caused by slavery seems to be similar to that caused by tariffs. In the early 1800s the north and south disagreed on several ideas at the time. The main cause for the split amongst the two groups were the tariffs implied during this time period. The first tariff that was implied was the Tariff of 1816. This tariff raised the prices of the British goods that were being sold in America. The British goods were normally cheaper and made from better quality than those American goods. This helped raise revenue for the north because that’s where all the goods were manufactured. The next tariff that furthered the sectionalism was the Tariff of Abominations. This tariff raised the tax on imported manufactured goods. This helped protect the north but harmed and angered the south. The South argued that it was discriminatory and unconstitutional. Then the Tariff of 1832 was imposed by Jackson. This tariff was almost the same as the one of Abominations except South Carolina tried to nullify it. After South Carolina tried to nullify it, Jackson passed the Force Act. The Force Act gave the president military force to collect tariffs. These tariffs caused tension and separation between the north and the south just as slavery did.

Slavery was a huge issue in the nineteenth century. From the North’s wanting to have slavery abolished to the South fighting to keep its economy alive, they both constantly battled on this view. Questions of morality and religion, economic and political stances arose and each side created points to strengthen their argument. With books like Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which allowed one to have a good insight on the harsh world of slavery, to Governors from Kentucky and Alabama attempt to unite to keep slavery alive, this issue was critical in the United States. In time, passions from each side would become to what most know as the Civil War.