Assignment 2.2 History 104

LIBERTY CHALLENGED IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY AMERICA 5

Liberty Challenged in the Nineteenth Century America

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Running head: LIBERTY CHALLENGED IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY AMERICA 1

Liberty Challenged in the Nineteenth Century America

Thesis Statement: The slavery issue was so controversial that it led to the United States Civil War, while other conflicts witnessed revolves around those who supported its abolishment and the pro-slavery.

I. Introduction

The challenges on liberty witnessed in the United States began after the nation acquired its independence. The government wanted all residents to enjoy the freedom it had fought for. However, the slavery issue was very critical due to its role in the nation’s economy, particularly in the Southern States. Thus, finding a solution to the issue was always going to be difficult. Some Americans wanted it to be abolished as it violated the principle on which the nation was formed. However, others were against the abolishment due to its economic significance.

II. The three-fifths compromise had several legal outcomes in the U.S.

a. The Southern States were allocated additional seats in the senate and electoral college votes due to having slaves

b. The Southern states bred slaves illegally

III. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 had several outcomes on the welfare of Americans

a. The state of Missouri was admitted into the U.S. as a slave state

b. Slavery was banned in areas of Louisiana located in 36° 30´ north of the latitude line

IV. The Compromise of 1850 had several consequences on the U.S.

a. Northerners were required to return the slaves who had run away from their owners in the South under the Fugitive Slave Law

b. California was admitted into the Union as the 16th state

V. The Kansas-Nebraska Act changed the nation’s political and legal structure in various ways.

a. It facilitated the creation of the Republican Party which is currently in power

b. Kansas became the battleground for the pro-slavery and anti-slavery crusaders. Each side wanted to emerge victorious in the first elections held after the act was implemented.

VI. The consequences of the Dred Scott decision were as follows

a. The decision implied that salves could never be viewed as citizens of the United States, but as properties of their masters

b. The Missouri Compromise 1850 which was unpopular among the Southern States was declared unconstitutional, thus allowing slavery to spread to other parts of the U.S.

VII. The issue of slavery was incompatible with the political and economic systems of the United States because of various aspects

a. The declaration of the nation’s independence which argued that all men are created equal. They should enjoy liberty, life, and be allowed to pursue happiness

b. The free labor which slaves offered in plantation was viewed to be immoral.

VIII. Several factors were responsible for the start of the Civil War in the U.S.

a. The slavery issue where the southern states supported it while the northerners were antis-slavery

b. The conflict between the rights of the federal government and that of states

c. The different social and economic life between the southern and northern states. The former’s economy was driven by slaves who worked in plantations while that of the latter relied on industries.

IX. Conclusion

The slavery issue was very contentious in the United States as it led to numerous conflicts between the southern states which supported it and the northerners who were anti-slave crusaders.

References

Fehrenbacher, D. E. (2001). The Dred Scott Case: Its significance in American law and politics. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Pr.

Lightner, D. L., & OUP. (2006). Slavery and the commerce power: How the struggle against the interstate slave trade led to the Civil War. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press.

Rodriguez, J. P. (2007). Slavery in the United States: A social, political, and historical encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO.