Topic > The History of Slavery in America

Slavery was a system where African Americans had no freedom and were treated like property. It existed from the early 1800s to 1865 in America. Slavery has caused many conflicts throughout American history, including the Civil War (Newman). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Slave rebellions, such as Nat Turner's revolt in 1831 that frightened Virginians and the South, John Brown's earlier heroic raids in the 1850s solidified people's views on slavery, and John Brown's terrible 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, jeopardized the Southern beliefs about slavery were the primary causes of the Civil War. The South needed a way to make a lot of money. Slaves worked for free and were able to do the job quickly and efficiently because they were better suited to the conditions. The climate and soil of the South were suitable for agriculture (Newman). Slaves brought a lot of money to the people of the South. They worked for free and didn't cost much because slave owners gave the slaves as little sleep, food, and water as possible to keep them alive. The colonists were very harsh, “they worked the slaves very hard and treated them poorly… In the colonies, slaves were sometimes worked to death, but the price for replacing slaves was high enough that they were often given food and just enough rest to survive. It also allowed slaves to form informal families, which helped replace their numbers" ("Slavery"). Furthermore, to make it simpler, "most kidnappings of Africans and their forcing into slavery were actually done by other Africans, requiring even less effort on the part of whites to perpetuate the system” (Newman). Slavery was liked, especially by people in the South, because it was easy. Slaves were cheaper because they didn't have to be paid as indentured servants (“slavery”), they didn't have to have much to eat or drink, they could be treated as whites wanted to treat them, and that wasn't necessary. take your time to get the slaves because other Africans did that work (Newman). Slaves were more accustomed to working conditions in the fields than anyone else. They could do it faster and more efficiently than indentured servants or any other settlers. Therefore, slavery continued to be a very important part of the Southern way of life. Slavery became so important when “tobacco was a labor-intensive crop, requiring laborers to spend long hours bending over plants in the sun scorching. Most whites proved completely unsuitable for this work… African slaves solved many of these problems” (Newman). The work that the South required of slaves was very difficult, and it was difficult for whites to do because they were not used to working as hard outside on plantations as slaves. That's why the South fought so hard to maintain slavery. Whites were also lazy and didn't want to do the hard work slaves did, which made them enjoy slavery even more. They were able to make money without much effort. This was beneficial to all, even though it took away the rights of slaves as people (Newman). Nat Turner was the leader of the slave revolt. He had a passion for fighting slavery, and so on August 21, 1831 he and 75 other African Americans marched and killed 51 whites in two days. Ultimately, Nat Turner was killed and the others who helped him werecaptured or killed. The Gag Rule was an example of how Nat Turner's Rebellion scared people, including Congress, which later caused the Civil War ("Nat Turner's Rebellion"). Many petitions were filed to convince the District of Columbia to change the rules so that slavery was not allowed. The Gag Rule, enacted in 1836, just 5 years after Nat Turner's Rebellion, said that Congress would decide whether to accept petitions and read them instead of deciding what to do with them. It was purposely confusing so that the Senate would not have to deal with the petitions and “most senators wanted this vexing issue to disappear. They feared that Calhoun's proposal to bar the Senate door on these petitions would inadvertently benefit the small, regionally isolated antislavery movement. Any day now, the pesky enemies of slavery could be transformed into noble champions of civil liberties” (“The Gag Rule”). Nat Turner's Rebellion influenced the creation of the Gag Rule because it inspired others to rise up and petition slavery. He was simply an African American slave who rebelled to defend his beliefs. The Gag Rule did not prevent the civil war from breaking out, but simply caused the war to be fought later because petitions were not processed, and it would eventually have to be done (“The Gag Rule”). Furthermore, this eventually led to civil war because the South was scared, which caused them to try to stop more rebellions and to keep the North from threatening to stop their main source of jobs (Newman). Nat Turner's Rebellion influenced the 1832 National Slavery Debate that took place in Virginia and influenced the petitions submitted before the debate. Nat Turner's riot “sent shockwaves of fear throughout Virginia” (Root). In one of the petitions dated December 6, 1831, only three and a half months after Nat Turner's Rebellion, it was stated: "we strongly recommend to the owners of vessels in this county, immediately, or as soon as practicable, to discontinue the use and the employment of slaves and free negroes on board their ships because we firmly believe that the practice is dangerous to the peace and security of our society... [we must] get rid of our free negroes, whom we consider a very prolific source of evil to our community” (“Citizens of Northampton County”). People in Virginia wanted all African Americans to be taken out of the country or they wanted them not to be excluded from society because they thought they were a danger. They were afraid of posing a danger just recently they had witnessed the number of whites killed by Nat Turner during his two-day raid. Thus, the national debate on slavery, in which the question of what to do with African Americans was addressed, was the result of all the. petitions. The national debate over slavery led to the Civil War because it really made people realize how much people in Virginia disagreed about slavery (Root). John Brown's previous raid took place in May 1856. Brown wanted to take revenge on the people who were violently fighting to maintain slavery, so he attacked the place where some of those people were staying in Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas. Brown killed five people there. His raids took place during “Bleeding Kansas,” where many rushed to fight for their views on slavery. At the end of 1856 (“Harpers Ferry Raid”) there were 200 or more deaths in Kansas. The circular written by the Kansas Emigration Society of Missouri in 1856 shows that everyone's opinions had solidified. This was written and distributedto many people and the Kansas Emigration Society was pro-slavery. The Kansas Emigration Society states in the circular that "the abolitionists, staking everything on the Kansas question, and without hesitation in any way, right or wrong, are moving heaven and earth to make that beautiful territory a 'Free State'... has come time to act: courageous and determined action. Words will no longer avail; we must have men in Kansas, and that by tens of thousands” (“Pro-slavery Southerners Urged to Settle in Kansas”). Abolitionists are described as very confident in their opinions and as tenacious fighters. The people of the North were firm in their opinion and were fighting hard while the people of the South began to realize that they had to fight just as hard to succeed in maintaining the institution of slavery. in Kansas. John Brown's first raids were made in May 1856 in Kansas, which was the place mentioned in the Kansas people needed to send more people to fight for their views ("Southerners pro -slavery are urged to settle in Kansas"). Therefore, John Brown's early raids influenced the making of the circular because his early rebellions were very large and impactful. Because people's opinions had become so strong, there was no compromise, which led to civil war. At the end of the entire conflict in Kansas, called “Bleeding Kansas”, 200 people died (“Harpers Ferry Raid”). Because of Brown's early rebellions, many people began to feel even stronger about their views on slavery. Both sides thought the exact opposite of John Brown, and “To many Northerners, including respected intellectuals such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, John Brown was considered a hero, praised for his righteous and uncompromising stance against slavery. To Southerners, Brown was a loathed and feared abolitionist who threatened a foundational institution of Southern society. He personified the horrible fate that awaited if the North were able to dictate its will on the issue of slavery” (“Harpers Ferry Raid”). Many people in the North liked that John Brown broke out, while people in the South were not happy with it. ("Raid on Harpers Ferry"). The rebellion also “sparked further retaliation. In early August, Free-Soil forces captured the slavery stronghold of Franklin, and later that month the Free-Soilers led by Brown repelled an attack by a large group of pro-slavery men at Osawatomie. Guerrilla warfare raged throughout the territory” (“Bleeding Kansas, 1855-1858”). Because people in the South hated John Brown, they developed a stronger opinion in favor of slavery. Their hatred towards Brown made them want to fight even harder to maintain slavery because they were angry and thought that Brown was wrong in saying that slavery should be abolished. For the North, because they supported Brown, they had Brown's influence and motivated them to fight harder to abolish slavery. His rebellions made them want to abolish slavery even more, as their views finally solidified. Then, as both sides became more set in their opinions, it was obvious that there would be no compromise, which led to the Civil War. Something had to be done and people had to solve the slavery issue. John Brown's terrible 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, jeopardized Southern beliefs about slavery and was a major cause of the Civil War. It was on October 16, 1859 that John Brown attempted to include theweapons to be given to slaves to use in case of rebellion. However, it didn't work. After capturing the arsenal, Brown and his followers took the people hostage. Brown and his men were captured and captured, and Brown later died by execution on December 2, 1859 ("The Harpers Ferry Raid"). He was allowed to give a speech before he died. In his speech, he explained: “Now, if it is deemed necessary that I should give up my life, in pursuit of the ends of justice, and further mix my blood with the blood of my children, and with the blood of millions people in this slave country, whose rights are violated by evil, cruel and unjust laws, - I say; let it be done” (Brown). John Brown explained how he was willing to give up his life to obtain the freedom of the slaves. He had a very strong opinion and held it throughout his capture. He expressed his opinion without any hesitation even when he was dying (Brown). Brown “conducted his defense with unusual dignity and muted religious conviction, inspiring a wellspring of sympathy and support in the North,…Brown's raid heightened the sense of threat in the South, where many concluded that the North approved of his behavior, and that secession was the only viable solution to the great struggle for the future of slavery" ("Harpers Ferry Raid"). John Brown rose up surrounded by slaves, even though he was not a slave, which also encouraged other people like him in the North to rebel. Because so many people in the North held those views, people in the South were reevaluating their views. As more and more people began to believe and act against slavery, the views of people in the South became more and more invalid because of the amount of people who believed otherwise. This led to the Southern states leaving the Union, leading to the Civil War (“The Harpers Ferry Raid”). Because Brown was so outspoken and the South had to deal with raids and outspoken people like him , they were forced to ask themselves whether their beliefs were actually viable. John Brown created a constitution for the organization he intended to create, but unfortunately he was killed for his crimes, so he never had the chance to do so. The Constitution was enacted in 1858, a year before the Harpers Ferry Riot. It was based on the no-slavery rule (“Harpers Ferry Raid”). Brown stated in his constitution: “Whereas slavery, throughout its existence in the United States, is nothing but one of the most barbarous, baseless, and unjustifiable practices.” War of one part of its citizens against another part;...together with all other people degraded by its laws...the better to protect our persons, property, lives and liberties, and to govern our actions:" ( "; Provisional Constitution and Ordinances for the People of the United States"). John Brown wanted to spread the word that slavery was terrible and he wanted to eliminate slavery. He explains in his constitution how he, along with the other members of his organization, will together create a society without slavery. His constitution is an example of how Brown continually fought against the people of the South in every way possible, including raiding and creating his own society that did not have slavery the opinions were valid however explicit and the rebel John Brown was. Some couldn't handle it and wanted slavery, which led to the South leaving the Union and the Civil War. Some didn't want to compromise at all, including the people of the North, which is why the civil war. Slave rebellions were a major cause of the end of slavery. It was only about 40 years after Nat Turner's Rebellion and 10 years after John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry, which was his last, that the.