Mexican-American War - Essay Example

Civil War The social, political and economic events that paved the way for the Civil War are important in understanding what actually caused the war itself. The primary catalyst for the Civil War was of course slavery. Whether or not slaves should be kept was an issue that divided the North and South very distinctly. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the timeline of events that began and then fueled the Civil War. The reason that many fought so hard to maintain slavery as a legal right, was because it was so integral in producing and harvesting crops, particularly cotton. Slavery remained legal in the South while it was illegal in the North. Few Northerners actively opposed the practice though. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 began a series of events which resulted ultimately in war. The Northwest Ordinance was an act of Congress of the federation and essentially declared that the land north of the Ohio River and East of the Mississippi River, would in fact become a part of the United States as well as become settled. Additionally, the ordinance established an area where slavery was illegal, therefore causing uprising from states south of the Ordinance. The Ohio River would become the boundary line. The next event to cause a disturbance between the North and the South was the Missouri Compromise of1820. This established slavery regulations within the Western Territories. It also made slavery illegal in the Louisiana Territory but allowed it to remain legal within the Missouri Territory. Political ramifications of the compromise served to introduce the idea of democrats and republicans. The compromise had established clear boundaries between North and South and would eventually push the two halves into war. In the meantime, the Mexican-American War was on the horizon as America had annexed the Texas territory from Mexico. The conflict lasted from 1846 to 1848. Most of the Southern States at the time, embraced the idea of Manifest Destiny as well as the idea of acquiring more land in the spirit of slavery expansion. Manifest Destiny was the notion that the United States was destined to claim the territory from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Seaboard. This is precisely why many were in favor of the Mexican-American war and also why the conflict began. Because of so much political and social unrest, the Compromise of 1850 was drafted. This series of bills sought to create resolve over the issue of slavery as well as the Mexican-American War. This compromise served to avoid an immediate political crisis. There was ongoing turmoil over the idea of state before country versus nationalism. Many felt a first and foremost allegiance to their respective state. Many felt bound by popular sovereignty which expressed a concept that a state’s legitimacy was determined by the people alone. Popular sovereignty was really the idea that the people held the power, but this was a belief or idea as opposed to a reality. Political tug of war continued between North and South leading to a series of violent altercations known as “bleeding Kansas”. the Kansas-Nebraska act of 1854 was what established popular sovereignty in the minds of the people. This act also served to make null and void the Missouri Compromise. This was paramount in creating warfare among the halves. Many sought to keep Kansas as a non free state as they feared that Kansas would ultimately become a haven state for runaway or freed slaves. As if relations between the North and South were not strained enough, the case of Dred Scott intensified conflicts and aided in bringing about the Civil War. Dred Scott was a slave who sued his master for his and his wife’s freedom. Dred Scott was slave to a man by the name of Dr. John Emerson, who traveled with the army. Many of the states that Dred Scott was taken to were free states, even though he finally sued for his freedom on a non free state. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled that slaves could not sue, could not attain citizenship in the United States and finally could not be taken from their masters. At one point, Dred Scott was taken with Dr. Emerson, to Illinois and other free territories which were free state, which ultimately gave Scott legal reason to sue for his freedom. It is thought by many that the Scott case was overruled for the purposes of expanding slavery and territory expansion. The reaction to the court’s decision was heated and fiercely opposed by many. The Civil War ultimately broke out between the Confederacy and the Union. The Republican states were led by Abraham Lincoln and sought to free the slaves. The Civil War was essentially over tariffs, slavery and territories. On April 12, 1861, violence ensued and began the war when Confederate troops stormed Fort Sumner in South Carolina. As a response, Lincold called for volunteers to join the army in order to fight the Confederacy. Ultimately, the war was won by the North and slavery was abolished. Approximately 40% of the battles that took place during the Civil War, took place in either Virginia or Tennessee. The ultimate victory achieved by the North was possible due to the fervor of Maj. Gen. Sherman and Grant, who sought to attain victory through complete defeat of the Confederacy. Part of the plan of attack included destruction of farms, homes and land. The forces of the Confederacy were led by Robert E. Lee. Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865, in Northern Virginia. A cease fire agreement was signed in June of that same year and the final Confederate naval force surrendered in England in November of 1865. The main reason that the Union was triumphant was simply the fact that they held an extremely large advantage over the confederacy. This advantage was evident in numbers and war tactics. Some historians believe that the South did not have any chance of winning the war. It is theorized also that the North fought at only partial capacity and that if the South has produced more man power and weaponry the North would only have increased its stamina resulting in victory for the North regardless. The North was highly industrialized and had the finances to produce adequate weaponry and supplies. This is another advantage the North possessed over the South. When the war had ended, a reconstruction took place leading to the election of 1876. The reconstruction was necessary in the light of the aftermath of the Civil War. Many of its policies however, failed. The reconstruction dealt with rights and freedoms of blacks, unification of Southern states with Northern ones and the status of Confederate leaders. Although blacks were beginning to enjoy some of the new rights afforded to them, there was an uprising of white democrats who used brute force to limit black rights and regain power briefly. One party rule and racial segregation was implemented by these same conservative democratic white leaders. This segregation and limited rights to blacks prevailed until the 1960’s. In hindsight, the reconstruction policies failed because of the blatant racism and devious actions of the white democrats in political positions at the time. President Rutherford B Hayes, a republican, was elected in 1876, the Compromise of 1877 was established. Prior to the election, a great deal of uprising and bullying took place in the deep south against blacks. It was Hayes however that won the election regardless. The long term outcome of the Union victory in the Civil War was emancipation, an end to slavery as well as the unification of the states. Certainly, freedom for black slaves took time and progress, but the Civil War was a platform for freedom and equality to be introduced into America. Works Cited: MSN, American Civil War, retrieved from website at: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761567354_2/Civil_War.html Slavery Forces The institution of slavery was paramount in causing the American Civil War and dividing the country. It was a peculiar institution and one that the United States is still suffering from. The purpose of this paper is to discuss slavery from the Constitutional Convention of 1787 up through the Civil War and define its demographics and origins. Slavery is essentially the imprisonment of individuals against their will as well as the relinquishing of any rights that they may have. It is also an institution where the individuals held as slaves are forced to perform work for little or no compensation. Slavery originated with the very first colonies in Virginia. The idea was to place an individual into slavery for a certain amount of time, in order to repay the cost of transportation into the colonies. This originally applied to blacks and whites equally. Later, the racial basis for slavery was established by the courts in the eighteenth century. Tobacco became a highly demanded product buit was also labor intensive to grow and harvest. Plantation owners saw the opportunity to profit greatly by using slave labor to harvest their crops. As the demand for tobacco and cotton increased, so did the slave trade. Until 1865, slavery was legal and applied to one’s entire life. It mainly applied however to black Africans and some Native Americans. In the year 1860, a census was taken reflecting that 1/3 of the population was slaves. This was out of only 12 million people total. Most of these slaves were held in the South, which eventually led to the South’s uprising against becoming free states. They were profiting heavily off of slavery and intended to continue this practice regardless of how barbaric. From the 16th to the 19th century, about 12,000,000 blacks were taken from their home and sent to America to become slaves. Fortunately, some individuals saw the atrocities of slavery and fought on the side of the North to free the slaves and do away with slavery for good. The Constitutional Convention, also called the Philadelphia Convention, led to the drafting of the United States Constitution. Slavery and the slave trade was one of the most controversial issues surrounding the Constitution and the Convention. The demographics of slavery had a great deal to do not only with the divisions of North and South but also the fact that the South required slavery to support its economy. The warmer climate of the Southern colonies serves to explain why the many crops and plantations were ideal for the area. The soil was also nutrient rich and fertile. Only about 2% of slaves in America, resided in Northern territories. The almost whole of the slave population was in the Southern territories, and worked on tobacco and cotton plantations. In 1787, a dividing line between free states and non free states was established and called the “Mason-Dixon Line”. This was so stated in the Ordinance of 1787, which essentially established a slave free zone in the Northwest Territory. Within territories where slaves were legally kept, slaves began to revolt leading to the slave rebellion. Ways in which slaves might rebel included burning down their slave holder’s homes or buildings, working very slowly, damaging or destroying tools and even physically attacking their slave holders from time to time. Other slaves were able to escape bondage, to free areas such as Florida after America’s annexation of Florida. There were other free communities which runaway slaves would escape to in hopes of beginning a new and free existence for themselves and their families. In 1663, in Virginia, a large slave rebellion was being planned. Unfortunately, someone told authorities of the planned rebellion and many involved in the plot were beheaded. The overall impact of the slave rebellion served to raise fear within many slaveholders. It was clear that slaves were prepared to revolt and seek their freedom, at times through any means necessary. An organization known as the ACS assembled in hopes of helping free blacks return to Africa as well as forming a colony in West Africa called Liberia. Liberia was a colony that provided refuge to free slaves wanting to leave America. In 1847, Liberia became an independent republic. Many charged that the ACS was a racist organization or one that had aspirations of colonizing parts of Africa in order to retain more territory for America. This remained a controversial group as some of its members were in fact slave owners while some slaves saw a return to Africa as the most ideal situation for them. Radical abolitionists strongly opposed the gradual nature of states becoming free or doing away with slavery. Radical abolitionist groups were often composed of blacks and whites, and grew increasingly aggressive to the point of conflict with the North, in part, fueling the Civil War. Among the abolitionist groups was the Quakers. The Quakers were pacifists and believed in an inner light which existed in every individual, therefore causing them to oppose the institution of slavery. By about the 1770’s, tobacco was actually in over production and many slave holders began to feel that owning slaves was no longer cost efficient. The ACS was also a part of the abolitionist movement. By the end of the Civil War, slavery slowly became a thing of the past carrying heavy stigma. The legacy of slavery would be severed most certainly by the 13th Amendment directly following the Civil War. The 13th Amendment clearly prohibited the owning of slaves and abolished slavery indelicately in America. After Abraham Lincoln’s emancipation of the slaves, it was thought that perhaps this would only be a temporary measure. To ensure that slavery was prohibited for good, the 13th Amendment was drafted by the thrity eight United States Congress on January 31, 1865. It was in December of that same year. The 14th Amendment is composed of articles that were intended to secure rights for former slaves as well as clauses for “due process” and citizenship. The 14th Amendment was also known as one of the Reconstruction Amendments, as it was drafted after the Civil War in hopes of ensuring rights and liberties to former slaves. This Amendment also served to supersede the ruling decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Dred Scott. The Dred Scott case had been lost as it was ruled that African Americans could not sue as they were not considered citizens and that slaves could not be taken from their slave holders as the slave holders would be deprived of their “property”. Fortunately, the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments came about to prevent any individual regardless of race or ethnicity, from being held as “property” by another individual. In addition, the individuals brought to the America’s from Africa through the slave trade, could be entitled to citizenship in America. In the 15th Amendment, it is declared that voting cannot be based on race. This meant that African American men could vote just like white men. There was a great deal of aggression focused on African Americans however, when it came time to vote. This brute force came from white politicians who did not want to see the slaves freed and even more so, given any rights. Many African Americans were threatened, black mailed or physically harmed in order to keep them away from the poles. This is the last of the Reconstruction Amendments and also served to supersede the ruling in the case of Dred Scott. Works Cited: The United States Civil War, retrieved from website at: http://www.us-civilwar.com/ Read More