Slavery

Description

Opposition to slavery existed since before the American Revolution and increased as northern states abolished it by 1820. In the 1830’s the abolitionist movement became more vocal, commencing with the establishment of a newspaper, the Liberator, edited by William Lloyd Garrison. As support for abolition increased it preoccupied the nation to the point that it ultimately resulted in the Civil War in 1861. In the 1850’s abolitionists denounced the institution of slavery, while many southern writers and newspapers defended it and compared it favorably to the conditions faced by free white workers in the north.

The following documents of the period put forth the anti-slavery and pro-slavery arguments of the time.

ANTI-SLAVERY

· William Lloyd Garrison “No Compromise with Slavery” 1854

· Harriet Beecher Stowe Excerpt from Uncle Tom’s Cabin 1852

PRO-SLAVERY

· George Fitzhugh Excerpt from Cannibals All!! 1857

· Defense of Slaveholding The Spectator, December 6, 1859

· Nehemiah Adams Excerpt from A Southside View of Slavery 1854

Based on these readings,defend one of the following theses, both of which were argued before the Civil War:

1)Slavery in the United States was inhumane and immoral and needed to be ended unconditionally.

or

2)Slavery in the United States was humane, beneficial to the slaves, essential for the nation, and superior to the conditions faced by northern workers.

Consider the following questions as you support your thesis:

· How do the two groups view the treatment of slaves and their contentment?

· What moral grounds does each group use to support its views?

· What comparisons do the pro-slavery proponents make between the lives of slaves and free white workers

in the north?

· How do the two groups describe racial attitudes and treatment of blacks in the north as compared

to the south?

• What groups and forces do the two groups believe are responsible for supporting or opposing slavery?

· How do the two groups differ in their analysis of the positive or negative impact of slavery on the nation as

a whole?

Utilize classroom lectures and the textbook to support your thesis; you may also want to consider the following:

· conditions of slave life during colonial times

· the Revolution’s impact on slaves and free blacks and the expectations of African-Americans

· the revival and growth of slavery in the early 19th century and its impact on slave families and

individual stability

· the conditions of slave life and culture in the south, both on the plantations and in southern cities before

the Civil War

· the causes of and prevalence of slave revolts and resistance

· the purpose and nature of the slave codes

· the growth of the underground railroad

· working and living conditions in the North during the Industrial Revolution

· the growth of the factory system and its impact on both native - born Americans and immigrants

· northern attitudes towards blacks

· living conditions of free blacks in both the north and the south