Shattering the Union By Eric H. Walther Essay Example

Antislavery is the opposition that was expressed against the slave trade in the United States. The ideas were put forward by a movement that existed in the ages between 1810 and 1820s. The movement was a rather significant action in the history of the United States. The free soil ideology was a policy that was put forward by a party in the United States named the free soil party that mainly opposed that slave trade supposed to be expanded to the western territories. The idea was insisted that the freemen on the free land were more superior to the trade both morally and economically. The policy was aimed at avoiding the spread of the slave trade which was rather dehumanizing to all those who were involved in it. The policy was put forward by a party that was known as the free soil party and was a major pillar in leading the people into believing and fighting against the slave trade that was on the verge of spreading into the Western countries in the United States. If the policy to allow the trade to spread passed, the citizens of the particular states were vulnerable to slave trade which according to the Free Soil Ideology was oppressive and somewhat economically retarding.

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The parties that were involved in the condemnation of the slave trade were among the sources factors that led to the civil war. The book Shattering of The Union adequately describes incidences where the people in the nation were against the slave trade and racial discrimination. An excellent example of a case that served to spark the war was the killing of William Wells Brown as he tried to defend his printing press against a group of proslavery people in Illinois 1837 (Walther 23).

Slave power conspiracy is also known as slaveocracy is the social economic and political influence that was held by the slave owners in the south who were only a minor percentage in the population of the nation. The power was mainly used by the rich to maintain the status of the slave trade and manipulate the trade in favor of the slave owners. An excellent example of such power is seen in the prologue whereby those who belonged to the south had a lot of slaves and were among the last to accept to release their slaves to freedom. It is evident that the slaves were not allowed to fight back, defend their name or even own property n the South. The policies were put in place by several wealthy slave owners who insisted that the policies are followed to the latter. The oppressive traits led to the breaking of the moral code of ethics of the African Americans who by then were mostly slaves in that era. They had to accept to crimes that they did not commit and even be punished for them.

The Slave power conspiracy was one of the leading factors that led to the civil war. In the south, the citizens aimed to attain wealth by gaining more slaves and forcing them to make more wealth for the white people. They also dedicated the hard labor to the African Americans while they were to handle the simple tasks that were simple and engage in leisure. In the north, however, work was seen as a noble act that deserved for all the people - slave or not, to get involved in. The difference I view between the two entities was one of the causes that caused a great schism between the Northern and the southern United States. The people of the north condemned the people of the south who served to keep slaves whereas they (the northerners) had abolished slave trade due to their principles which did not allow them to keep slaves. The division resulted in the contributing factors to the civil war (Walther xxi).

Conclusion

As seen earlier, it is evident that the people of the south were in dire need to expand the slave trade. They regarded the slaves as lower people as I am seen in several practices that they treated them, such as the idea that they were delegated to do the hard tasks while the white people were allowed to have a lot of leisure time and small activities. They are seen to hold the idea of the slave trade as a necessity other than a choice as the northern people saw it (Walther xxi). With this claim, they insisted on the importance of the activity and clung on to the laws that encouraged the vice. The areas were also filled with many rich white people who had a lot of influence and supported the trade which allowed the ideal to be held on for a long time even with the condemnation from the Northerners. The matters of the slave trade were left to the leaders of the people while the ordinary citizens carried on with their routine businesses without considering the influence that the division between the north and the south had caused on the country.

In addition to that, the policies of the south were too strong for the trade to be reduced despite the leaders of the north being against the trade. An excellent example of such a leader was Abraham Lincoln who claimed that no man was superior enough to own another man. He even claimed that if he were given absolute power, he would free all the slaves and send them all to Liberia (Walther 51). Another incident that sparked outrage among Americans was the Ostend Manifesto which left the people in the south uncomprehending of its essence because according to them, the slave trade was part and parcel of their daily lives. They saw it as a source of pride and wealth in the nation at large. They also feared the expansion of the northern influence since it would cause them a great demeanor among their subjects.

Works Cited

Walther, Eric H. The Shattering of the Union: America in the 1850s. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2003.