Between Lincoln’s election in November and his becoming president the following March, seven southern states seceded, or withdrew, from the United States. Southerners saw him and the anti-slavery ideaĪs a threat to their wealth and way of life. This pledge, he thought, would eventually end slavery. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected president, partly on the promise that when new states were created they would be free, that is, without slavery. Southerners were infuriated that British North American colonies acted as sanctuaries and so they passed laws to stop fugitive slaves - all of which added to tensionsīetween northern and southern states ( see Fugitive Slave Act of 1850). Many runaway slaves made it north on their own, while others were helped with food, lodging and directions by Americans who maintained secret and illegal escape routes called the Underground Railroad. Thousands of enslaved people escaped and endured perilous journeys to what would become Canada in order to enjoy freedom where slavery had been abolished ( see Slavery Abolition Act, 1833). Their economy relied on slavery and therefore, slavery was not a moral question. Southern states, however, had large plantations growing cotton that was picked by enslaved people. Labour, and so many of them gradually abolished slavery. Northern states were based primarily on small farms and growing cities that did not rely upon slave Was created equal, but the 1787 American Constitution ensured that slavery, the ownership and forced labour of human beings, could continue to exist. The idea at the heart of the 1776 American Declaration of Independence was that every man Many factors led to the outbreak of war, but the most significant was slavery.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |