In the early 19th century, the issue of slavery was often overlooked as the American economy began to prosper. All legal compromises or acts were created in an effort to shut down abolitionists and avoid controversy regarding the prominent issue of slavery. In class, we analyzed several events of 19th century which greatly impacted the evolution of slavery and created a timeline of important historical events pertaining to the issue. Analysis of these documents provides evidence that legal compromises, acts, and legislation were created to avoid the social and ethical controversy which often surrounded the topic of slavery and enabled the government to continue to attain financial success from slave labor.
In 1853, the U.S. paid $15 million for all of Nevada, California, Utah, and much of Arizona and New Mexico in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. In addition, the United States paid $10 million for a much smaller strip of land known as the Gadsden Purchase only 5 years later. This land was used to promote slavery through the construction of the southern transcontinental railroad and “fix” any further conflict lingering after the Mexican-American War. In an attempt to diminish tensions from the war, the United States made a significant effort to find a southern route for a transcontinental railroad as the only viable route through Mexican territory. This new land paved the way for the southern transcontinental railroad and allowed plantation owners and slaves to come to the U.S. ultimately boosting the economy through their labor.
The Dred Scott Decision occurred in 1857. Dred Scott was an enslaved man who lived in the free state of Illinois and Wisconsin before moving to the slave state of Missouri. In the hopes of being granted freedom, Scott filed a suit against his owner in the U.S. Supreme Court. He argued that he and his wife were free because they had once lived with their owners in states and territories where slavery was illegal. This decision established that slaves were denied the right to sue in court because they were not citizens, enslaved people could not win freedom by living in a free territory or state, ruled The Missouri Compromise as unconstitutional, and established all territories open to slavery. This decision supported a law which was unjust and without fair justification as to why men such as Dred Scott could not be granted freedom. If Scott were granted freedom, there could be potential uprisings and protests from other slaves, putting the economy in danger without the support of its laborers. Despite this ruling, many abolitionists such as Frederick Douglas believed that this decision would ultimately bring slavery to the attention of the nation and closer to destruction.
John Brown was an abolitionist who believed in the overthrow of the slavery system. He assisted slaves by housing escaped slaves in Harper's Ferry. He also attempted to attack a government arsenal to capture weapons in hope that he could arm local slaves to rise up against local slave owners. However, Brown and his men were captured and killed and Brown was accused of treason. Instead of taking matters into consideration, Brown was shut down and killed most likely in an effort to prevent further uprisings, causing potential danger to cotton production. At this point in time, many northerners began to support the militant abolitionists like Brown.
In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act opened new lands for settlement. It allowed people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether or not to allow slavery within their borders. The Act served to repeal the Missouri Compromise of 1820 which prohibited slavery. The Kansas-Nebraska Act angered those in the North who considered the Missouri Compromise to be a binding agreement. In the pro-slavery South, it was supported. By establishing Kansas and Nebraska as popular sovereignty, the northern railroad was becoming more attractive to southern slave owners, coming to the states to promote slavery. This act provides another example of how laws were used by the government to promote slavery in an effort to secure financial gain in a united nation.
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