Origins of the Civil War

Origins of the Civil War

By: Gabriel Hernandez

            It all started way back in America in the 1600s with mere economic purposes. The United States was at the zenith of tobacco production with indentured servants working on plantations. With the years passing by, there was an approximate of 4000 African Americans working miserably in tobacco plantations in the 1700s. Unfortunately, future events for the African American people didn’t get any better, instead they got worse. For the following long years to come, the black community suffered and worked having blood and sweat running down from their back.

            The North West Black Codes gave a small spar of hope for slaves. This document stated slavery to be technically illegal. However, in the Northern area of the Ohio River, African Americans were still under the authority of White Americans. So, the NWBC didn’t show any kind of change due to the people who kept their slaves. Nevertheless, the Congress endeavored for a solution in 1820 with the Missouri Compromise. This was an agreement made by the Congress itself dividing Missouri into two states; one being against slavery and the other in favor. By 1830, the slave holder added up 36 percent of the white population. The anti slavery advocates founded the country of Liberia in Africa. They proposed people who suffered from slavery or that were prompt to suffer under the veil of it to move to the new lands of Liberia. However, this caused a major controversy since some people said they still believed they could have an opportunity in America when in reality, they didn’t, they were just building dreams based on naïve hopes. The same year as the NWBC, the three-fifths compromise was created. It said that all enslaved people would be counted nevertheless; the total would be multiplied by three fifths.

            African Americans made a major contribution to the South since they were the architects of its strong economic progress during that epoch. At this point in history, the North’s economy depended on the Southern capability to manufacture their goods. The South based its economy on products such as; cotton and tobacco. By 1860, African Americans made up half of the population of South Carolina and Mississippi. 

            In 1820, there was an open resistance led by Denmark Vesey followed by African Americans in South Carolina. There is evidence of slaves fighting back in the South. A few years later, the resistance to abolition came to the mind of the American people in 1836. With the series of events that occurred in the abolition iconic characters from American history are introduced such as Harriet Tubman with the Underground Railroad. The gag rule came right behind this and states that all anti slavery petition would be automatically stable for the next 18 years to come.

            The final events previous to the civil war were probably the most crucial for such event. The inability of politicians to resolve the question of whether or not slavery should be allowed in their territories raised major disputes among the people. The fighting for remainance of the South in the US and the North becoming more populous and urban than the South created tension between both territories. In 1860, things became worse due to the industrialization of the North having 110,000 factories. Finally and probably most influential Kansas-Nebraska Act. This document proclaimed that people should decide if slavery is to be allowed or not however, it proved that there would be no peaceful reaction toward any decision taken.

            The slavery days in the United States were part of their dark chapters from their history throughout the years. For the disgrace of the slaves, many gloomy events had to occur in order for slavery to come to its end. Slavery should have never existed in first place since in the end, people are the same. They are humans such as everyone else and should be respected and treated as such as well.