Essay Example on Freedom & Slavery in 19th Century America: A Historical Perspective

The current American society basks in the adulation of freedom and autonomy in all aspect of life. This ranges from the freedom to work according to one's preferences, the freedom to access social amenities, religion, and choose their marriage partners. This freedom was not as prominent in the 19th century as the phenomenon of slavery had gained momentum. Farms, industries, and plantations were massively utilizing slaves as sources of free or cheap labor. Slavery started in 1619 in America when a Dutch ship docked at Jamestown in Virginia with African slaves abroad. This trend expanded towards the 18th century as European settlers preferred African slaves since they offered plentiful labor at a cheaper prize (History.com, 2019). The increased demand in cotton, tobacco, and other products in the international markets hence increased the intensity of slavery as more work needed to be done to address the high demands. However, the inhumane nature of slavery attracted various movements against slavery. This was significantly rounded up by the passing of the 13th amendment in the United States Constitution that criminalized slavery. The abolition movement thus emerged from this, as a force forged towards the outlaw of slavery.

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The issue of slavery had taken a variety of stances from the religious perspective, the economic as well as political dimensions. The abolitionist movement was a movement that stood out among the many approaches that were being taken by other groups. This group utilized a relatively more radical approach towards slavery as it largely depended on moral arguments as a pathway towards equality of whites and blacks (OpenStax College, 2014). Influenced by the second awakening of the religious movements in America, abolitionism was conjured to present yet another form of awakening in the United States by exposing the sin of slavery that America was so much involved in.

In 1831, William Lloyd Garrison of Massachusetts joined the abolitionist movement by founding The Liberator, an abolitionist newspaper that declared his ambition towards the end of slavery. Garrison started as a fanatic for colonialism but later realized that it only deepened the phenomenon of racism. The same year, he founded the New England Anti-Slavery Society, and after two years that is in 1833, he formed the American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS). The membership for this movement, grew to 250,000 Garrisonians as they were often referred to (OpenStax College, 2014). This movement was based on the tenet of moral suasion, a technique that was adapted to awaken the consciousness of people against the criminal acts and sins committed against the Africa Americans. Abolitionism also operated under the truism of immediatism which demanded immediate actions against slavery.

Abolitionism, through its expanded membership, also utilized political avenues to push the agenda across the political world. Even though this was against Garrison's beliefs, in 1840, the abolitionists formed the Liberty Party. James G. Birney was the party's first candidate, and he ran for presidency the same year. He was a man who was grounded on abolitionism as he, in the 1830s, rejected slavery, and took action by freeing all his slaves. This movement faced a lot of resistance despite its gained popularity. The north, for instance, were anti-abolitionists as they believed that ending slavery would create free African Americans who would take the work of the whites. In 1838, Frederick Douglass, a slave with powerful skills, joined the movement. In 1845, he published a memoir titled Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave Written by Himself, where he narrated of the predicaments he underwent as a slave.

The continued expansion of expansion led to the Missouri compromise as an abolitionist move. This move was established to create a boundary between slave states and Free states. Missouri was registered as a slave state, Maine as a free state and the other western territories as free soil by the union. The Kansas-Nebraska act of 1854, however, was a blow towards ending slavery as it opened all new territories to slavery. The Supreme Court ruling in 1857, often referred to as the Dred Scott decision worsened the issue by open up slavery to all states (History.com, 2019). Two years after this decision, john brown, an abolitionist, in the company of 22 men raided the Harper's Ferry. This move against slavery resulted in the death of ten people and the handing of john brown.

The civil war created a rift between the North and the South more so due to slavery issues. The election of Abraham Lincoln, a Republican candidate, however, turned the situation around. Lincoln, on September 22, 1862, issued an emancipation proclamation and in three months formalized it making slaves free. The emancipation proclamation led to the freedom of about 3million slaves in the ceded rebel states, and this limited their labor forces. The end of the civil war in 1865 also marked the passing of the 13th amendment that ended slavery.

References

Openstax College (2014). US history: Antebellum Idealism and Reform Impulses, 1820-1860.chapter 13. Pp. 379-383. Retrieved from http://www.sweethaven02.com/openstax/USHistory-LR.pdf

Slavery in America (2019). History.com. retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery