As citizens of the United States of America, when we think of the term “slavery” we think of the South during the Pre-Civil War era, working long hours, starved with malnutrition, physically abused to death and hopeless. During this time, white people were enslaving black people since whites believed blacks were of less value and importance. It was continued until the year of 1865 when Congress passed the 13th amendment stating “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Slavery was the core to the American expansion in the nineteenth century. Today, every child in America is entitled to a free education and has freedom of speech as well as freedom to make their own decisions, regardless of their racial or cultural background. Enslaved blacks transformed the United States into an economic power. This was one of the darkest periods in human history and it played a major role in developing and shaping our nation socially, politically and economically; making slavery immoral and discriminatory in today’s society.
After Christopher Columbus’s successful voyage to the New World in the 16th century, the French, Spaniards, and Europeans made it their goal to see the new territory, hoping that they will be able to call this land “home” someday. The colonists believed that America had the perfect environment to farm popular crops such as rice, cotton, indigo, sugar, coffee, and tobacco. The only problem was farming required a lot of labor and they did not have the money. Europe created the Triangle Trade which was a trade route that started in Europe and ended in America. This system of trade was between the New World which is now North America, Europe and West Africa. The trade between Europe and West Africa traded goods such as textiles, rum and manufactured goods in exchange for prisoners from the war. After leaving Africa, the ships headed to the Americas where they traded goods such as sugar, tobacco and cotton for the prisoners. Most of the slaves died on the ships before reaching America since the conditions were so awful; there were many diseases, sicknesses, and they were deprived of food and water. When the slaves arrived, they were put up for auction and sold. This back and forth continuous trend was to be known as the “Transatlantic Trade Route”, which contributed to the auction of African slaves. This trading system of slaves resulted in an economic business, making it the most profitable market during this time. The farm owners believed that hiring African-America slaves was a cheaper and better labor source than hiring indentured servants. The slaves were forced to follow all the demands from their white owners and were looked at as inferior and part of the lowest social class. At this time, there was a high demand for tobacco and cotton. The enslaved blacks were looked as if their only purpose was to make a huge profit for their white slave owners in the South. Great Britain’s demand for cotton caused slavery to grow even bigger worldwide.
Slaves lived in dehumanized and gruesome living conditions. They were torn away from their families and they never heard or saw them again. When slaves did not fully obey the rules given by their white owner they were “whipped, till the blood tickled from every stroke if the lash” (Jacobs 37). “If a slave is unwilling to go with his new master, he is whipped, or locked up in jail” (Jacobs 40). No matter how hard a slave worked, they were all treated equally and had no rights or ownership and “According to Southern law, a slave, being property, can hold no property!” (Jacobs 31). Since slaves did not have a right to education, very few slaves would teach themselves how to read and write so “It will naturally excite surprise that a women reared in Slavery should be able to write” (Jacobs 27). Slavery takes a larger impact on the misery for women since “Slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women” (Jacobs 101). Women are often raped by their masters and their children are taken from them. The Declaration of the Seneca Falls “demanded that the rights of women’s as right-bearing individuals be acknowledged and respected by society” (Modern History Sourcebook: The Declaration of Sentiments, Seneca Falls Conference, 1848). Without slavery, the United States would not have the freedom and equal rights that it has today.
A lot of controversy was created during the 19th century with the expansion of slavery into the Western territories and it threatening to tear the country apart. The main issue was the balance of “free states” and “slave states” and if it would affect the power of Congress. This caused Congress to create compromises to keep the number of slave and free states the same. The first compromise was the Missouri Compromise in 1820 which made Missouri a slave state and Maine a free state. This compromise also created a line across the country at 36’30” degrees latitude dividing the free and slave states with the free states on the top and the slave states on the bottom. The Compromise of 1850 made California a free state and allowed Mexico and Utah to choose if they both wanted to be free or slave states. The Fugitive Slave Act was also created stating that runaway slaves in the north were to return to slavery in the south. This law almost forced Harriet Jacobs to go back into slavery after she tried to run away from her owner. The Kansas-Nebraska Act gave Kansas and Nebraska the option to choose to allow slavery or be free states. These compromises significantly impacted the development of the United States of America.
Even before the African-Americans were brought to America as slaves, there was still a lot of racial discrimination. The whites believed they were more superior and better than the blacks and “No two people that had the slightest tinge of color in their faces dared to be seen talking together” (Jacobs 99). Just because blacks have a different skin color and have different ways of life does not mean they are different than whites and they do not have the same rights to be free and equal. We all breathe the same air and have the same color of blood. The Declaration of Independence states “that all men and women are created equal” (The Declaration of Sentiments). The purpose of the Civil War was to end slavery and give equal rights to former African slaves. The United States is still facing civil right issues but not only with blacks but also women, Hispanics, and homosexual people.
The Anti-Slavery Movement first began in Europe during the 1700s and then later spread to the United States. During this time in the United States, abolitionists were trying to end slavery and they wanted to allow slaves to have equal rights. Abolitionists believed that slaves were being treated unfairly and abused and they tried to end slavery and racial and segregation and discrimination. The growth of slavery convinced abolitionists to create their own political party. The Liberty party was the first anti-slavery political party in the United States. In 1848, the Free Soil party formed, hoping to stop the expansion of slavery. The anti-slavery forces main goal was to end slavery. Even though the Liberty and Free Soil parties are no longer around, they played a major role in the Presidency of 1848 which focused on the issue of whether slavery would be banned from the new territories. The Free Soil party became the base of the Republican party which is still around today.
Slavery built the United States of America and developed the American economy into what it is today through social, political and economic influence. There would not be a single nation if slavery had not been abolished and we would still have two confederacies. The grotesque acts of slavery went against the founding ideals of our country. In today’s society everyone is equal regardless of their racial or cultural background.