American History to 1877 (Essay Sample)

Name Class Information Date American History to 1877 Examine the economic forces (tip: agricultural needs), specific laws and interracial social interactions that contributed to the formation and solidification of what came to be called the “Peculiar Institution” in the colonial period and beyond. Since America was growing its agricultural economy, lack and expensive labor prompted to bring in slavery. The idea was to obtain cheap labor that could maximize profits for cotton and tobacco. Slavery was the core of the economic and political life of the American national system. Slaves were captured and taken to work and during this time the Americans depended on the enslaved African labor for their survival. Explain the major aspects of slavery in the South, and how it differed from slavery in the North. Why did slavery in the North end? The England colonies developed an agricultural economy in the south that relied on labor. This forced the south to impose more rules and laws about slavery. In the southern states, African Americans were treated as property and had no rights. The majority of the slave in the south worked in large plantations. Slaves were under strict rules and in case one was found escaping, then he/she could face serious punishment. Slaves in the south had no rights, they were not allowed to have land, country, spouse, children, a home or any basic thing that white men took for granted. The south traded, sold and even gave away slaves through betting. Unlike the south, the northern states were more industrialized and never primarily relied on slave work. Although the African Americans were free in the north they were still treated unfairly. Slavery ended in 1865 after then 13th constitutional amendment was ratified and passed. Although President Abraham Lincoln never lived to see this amendment, he approved the Joint Resolution of Congress and submitted the anticipated amendments to the state legislature.[Riley, Padraig Griffin. Northern Republicans and Southern Slavery: Democracy in the Age of Jefferson, 1800-1819. Thesis (Ph. D. in History)--University of California, Berkeley, 2007, 245.] How was an African American collective identity created? Describe four forms of resistance to slavery undertaken by the slaves in the United States of America. Failure of emancipation and slavery created a cultural trauma through this African Americans represented and reinterpreted their collective identity. The traumatic experience of slavery in America united all the African Americans and formed an embryonic collective identity through the combined aspect of people, race or community. Different numbers of measures were used by Slaves in the United States to show resistance to slavery. Slaves showed resistance to slavery through rebellion, runaways, and acts of resistance. The most common slave revolt rebellions in American history included the 1739 Stono Rebellion and 1831 Nat Turner's Rebellion. Slaves knew that it was extremely difficult to mount a rebellion because whited outnumbered them. They relied on an increase in the slave population to grow their labor force.[Fogel, Robert William, and Stanley L. Engerman. The Relative Efficiency of Slavery: A Comparison of Northern and Southern Agriculture in 1850 and 1860. 1972.] Slaves’ runaway as a form of resistance. They could hide in nearby forests or even visit other plantations to escape harsh punishment. This relieved them from heavy workload, and also abscond the drudgery of daily life under slavery. It was difficult to flee and leave family behind and also this act carried harsh punishment or even death of apprehended. Slaves run to the north because of the degree of freedom compared to the south. Slaves also retaliated with ordinary acts of resistance with acts like setting buildings on fire, even breaking tools, playing dumb, feigning illness or even slowing down work. Describe the nature of slavery in the different regions of the American South, and explain the reason for the differentiation (hint: related to types of agriculture). By the time of the American Revolution, 40% of the population in Virginia and 60% of the population in South Carolina were slaves. Although many of the slaves in the Chesapeake worked on small farms a large number of slaves lived in South Carolina large plantations. The advantage of working in the large plantation is that after work, slaves were allowed to live freely without the supervision from whites compares to the slaves working in small farms who found themselves side by side with white masters. The agricultural economy of cotton, sugar, tobacco, and rice led to high demand for labor. In the 18th century, the slave became the cornerstone of the British Empire and more than a labor system. Compare to the amount of work they were subjected to in plantation, the expense of feeding, clothing, and housing them was less than the value they produced in their work.[Fogel, Robert William, and Stanley L. Engerman. The Relative Efficiency of Slavery: A Comparison of Northern and Southern Agriculture in 1850 and 1860. 1972.] What effect did the American Revolution have on slavery? Be specific. Did the Constitution address slavery at all? Be specific in your explanation of where it is addressed. American Revolution engendered exceptional arguments about the ethics of slavery and its compatibility with the new schema of forming a new nation. Even though the idea of the American Revolution never abolished slavery, it became a process and channel for gradual and immediate emancipation in northern states. Revolution war began in 1775 and this fight for liberty led to other American slaveholders to let slaves free and at that time most of the northern states started passing gradual emancipation laws. Vermont in 1777 became the first to create a new state constitution that outlawed slavery and was later followed by New Hampshire and Massachusetts through judicial decisions. Other nations followed including Pennsylvania which passed emancipation laws in 1780, New York and New Jersey passed their laws in 1799 and 1804 respectively. States like Delaware never abolished slavery until the 13th Amendment in 1865.[Top of FormLind, Michael. Next American Nation: The New Nationalism and the Fourth American Revolution. [Place of publication not identified]: Free Press, 2014. <http://rbdigital.oneclickdigital.com>Bottom of Form] Who were the abolitionists? What is its significance? The pioneers of the antislavery also referred to as Abolitionists include Benjamin Lay, Olaudah Equiano, Antony Benezet, Elizabeth Freeman, Benjamin Rush, and Moses Brown. Benjamin Lay used the aspect of religion to fight slavery. In 1738 while in a Quaker meeting, he warned that those who enslave their fellow creatures God shall shed blood on them. His radicalism made him an outcast though he achieved little success.[Riley, Padraig Griffin. Northern Republicans and Southern Slavery: Democracy in the Age of Jefferson, 1800-1819. Thesis (Ph. D. in History)--University of California, Berkeley, 2007, 245.] The biggest contribution to Equiano's was when he published “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano,” his literature become an influential text among American abolitionists and it's now considered one of the first slave narratives. Benezet also published antislavery tracts that drew on enlightenment religious doctrine, philosophy, and economie...