HIST FINAL
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Lone Star College, CyFair *
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Dec 6, 2023
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Noble 1
Professor Botkin
HIST 1301
May 6, 2023
Final Exam
Discuss the events leading up the beginning of the civil war. Discuss the reasons the war
began.
Several factors contributed to the Civil War, including states' rights and territorial expansion,
Lincoln's election, but slavery played the most significant role. Each of these factors was
associated with events that led to the Civil War as well. In addition to discussing the major
events, it is also important to mention the smaller events that played a significant role. These
events include Uncle Tom's Cabin, The Kansas-Nebraska Act, The Pottawatomie Massacre, The
Dred Scott Decision and John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry.
When African American slaves were brought into the U.S. in 1619, slavery and their status
became the catalyst for the turmoil that plunged the U.S. into a civil war between 1861 and
1865.As it spread throughout the thirteen colonies, its prevalence increased. Some Americans,
however, found it difficult to agree with slavery a few years later. Eventually, the issue became
so significant that the Union was divided into two parts, North and South.
The first significant events would be The Compromise of 1850 and The Missouri Compromise of
1820. Despite the differences in their approaches, both were very successful in bringing together
the North and the South. The Missouri Compromise regulated Western territories. Anything
above the line should be considered a free state and anything below should be subject to slavery.
For a short period of time, there was a truce before tensions erupted during the Mexican War.
The western land gained by the United States during this period was debated as to whether it
should become a free or slave territory. In 1849, California requested approval to become a free
state, which would have upset the balance struck by the Missouri Compromise several decades
earlier. This would be known as the Compromises of 1860.
As part of the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act was also passed. In order to comply
with this act, northern authorities had to assist southern slave catchers to recover and return
slaves to their owners. As the Fugitive Slave Act would preserve slavery in the southern states,
southerners favored it since slavery did not exist in western territories. This act was crucial to
southern survival because it allowed southern slave owners to retrieve their slaves when they
escaped to the North. In contrast, the North viewed this act differently, especially African
Americans. They feared this act because regardless of their innocence, they would be forced
back to the south. As a result, resistance groups were formed in the north.
Another factor was the election of Abraham Lincoln as president in 1860. There was a growing
influence for the newly formed Republican Party, whose members opposed the expansion of
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slavery westward into new states. As a result of his victory, the Southern states were clearly
shown that their influence had been lost. They resorted to secession, a political decision that led
directly to war because they felt excluded from the political system and had no other option left.
Explain the Proslavery argument. Explain the argument for abolition.
In the 18th century, slavery was a hotly debated topic in the United States. Slave owners
employed an array of techniques to maintain control over their slaves, making them wholly
dependent on their masters. Many argued that slavery was a necessary and beneficial practice,
citing legal, constitutional, economic, and religious justifications. Proponents of slavery argued
that the institution was beneficial to both the slave and the master, and was sanctioned by the
laws of nature and God. Despite the many arguments made for the continuation of slavery,
opponents of the practice argued that slavery was an ungodly, immoral, and unjust practice that
should be abolished.
Advocates of slavery argued that if slavery were to be suddenly abolished, the economy would
suffer greatly, with prices of cotton and rice plummeting. Additionally, the tobacco fields would
dry up, as the labor force behind them would no longer be available. It was the invention of the
cotton gin in 1800 that led to a massive increase in cotton production. The process required a lot
of unskilled labor, making slave labor ideal for cotton production as it was cheap and readily
available. Furthermore, it was believed that freeing slaves would result in riots and chaos. A
second argument that they made was that it was a just thing to continue slavery since it had
existed throughout history and that it was justified by religion because God had created some
people to rule others, like themselves. Slave-owners also utilized the courts to assert their beliefs,
and the Dred Scott Decision, issued in 1857, was a major impetus in this regard. This ruling
declared that African Americans, regardless of their status as slaves or free persons, had no legal
standing in the courts, and were instead viewed as property. The Constitution was seen as
protecting the rights of slaveholders to their property, reinforcing the notion of African
Americans as chattel. Moreover, some slaveholders felt that African Americans were biologically
inferior to their masters, a belief that was used to justify their subjugation.
Abolitionists argued strongly against slavery, claiming it was unfair and unjust to African
Americans. They believed that slavery was a direct violation of the biblical view that all people,
regardless of race, are made in the image of God and should not be treated as property.
Mistreatment of slaves was viewed as an affront to their human rights and a violation of
fundamental moral values. They sought to end slavery and argued that African Americans
deserved the same rights and liberties as any other human being and should not be subjected to
the brutality of slavery. Economically, the North had concluded that slavery was no longer a
viable. Slavery was not required for industrialists and business owners, and they only involved
themselves in the slave trade occasionally by investing in voyages. Investors, however, shifted
their focus to companies paying their employees with wages as profits as the slave trade
declined. Slavery was therefore perceived as an unfair competitor by the North.
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