Term Paper on "Slavery Civil War"

Term Paper 4 pages (1245 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Constitutional Convention, slavery rebellions, free black issues and the ACS, radical abolitionism and the 13th, 14th and 15th amendment and their impact on the legacy of slavery following the Civil War. There were five sources used to complete this paper.

During the national convention there were several delegates lined up on the for and on the against side of the slavery issue but two delegates made such an impression with their speeches that they are renowned for representing their side. James Madison and Charles Pinckney presented such strong cases for their respective sides that their arguments will forever be preserved as part of the nation's history.

It was during the convention that Virginian James Madison made a public alliance with the anti-slavery movement.

James Madison felt so strongly about the issue of slavery that he got to the convention area two weeks before it began so he would have time to prepare the best argument possible against slavery. When he spoke he argued that the liberties of minorities in America were being violated by the very act of slavery. According to Madison owning humans was against basic human right and it should not be allowed or condoned by any American government body (Madison and the Virginia Plan (http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_ccon.html).

He believed that the Confederation was giving too much emphasis to state sovereignty and not enough to a national focus on consistent and fair policy and the upholding of natural rights (Madison and the Virginia Plan (http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_ccon.html)."

On the other side of the slavery argument at the convention stood Charles Pinckney. Pinckney was touted as the step father of the constitution by later historians because of his strong arguments for slavery. He stood his ground on the issue of slavery and argued that to abolish slavery would economically destroy the entire south. He argued that slaves provided free labor and if plantation and other business owners had to begin paying for that labor the business would not survive. He also argued that Blacks were not equal to whites in any capacity including intellectually therefore were not afforded the right to be treated equally (Pinckney - step-father of the Constitution? (http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_ccon.html).

The demographics of slavery were quite interesting as the ability to own a slave, IE human being was legal in the south, but illegal in the north. Therefore in the southern half of the United States Blacks were poor, uneducated, owned, beaten and often fearful human beings, while in the north Blacks were free to work, educate and live without being owned. It is interesting that there was such a difference in the two areas though there were not that many miles between the two vastly different lifestyles for Blacks in the United States.

To combat the running of slaves to the north where they were being protected from capture the nation passed the Fugitive Slave Act. It stated that slaves could be taken back to the south if they were declared runaway slaves.

History of slave rebellions lights way to future struggles (Ambiguities present in previous legislation led the U.S. Congress to pass the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793. (http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h480.html)

Slave rebellions were enacted and carried out by the slaves who did not wish to be owned or treated as pieces of property.

Many anti-slavery rebellions broke out across the "New World," started by the slaves themselves. This was true despite intense repression by the slave-owning classes (by Pat Chin (http://www.workers.org/ww/1998/slavereb0226.php)."

In the United States there were more than 250 revolts planned and carried out across the nation. Revolts happened both in the north and the south.

Resistance took many forms, including running away, hiding slave children about to be sold, slowdowns in the cotton fields, secretly learning to read and… READ MORE

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