Slavery in US History

Slavery in the United States

Slavery is a significant element of the history of the United States. Slavery appeared to have advanced in the United States, so slaves were considered as property important in wealth building.

Slavery as a Constitutional Issue

Slavery was a constitutional issue in the sense that the constitution never addressed the word “slave” in its entirety while nevertheless protecting slave importation. Furthermore, the Constitutional Convention of 1787 authorized the counting of slaves in practically every state save Massachusetts and parts of Maine and Vermont. However, the constitution mandated that the states be represented in Congress, with each state electing its own delegates; hence,the state with the highest population in the House of Representatives became relevant. Therefore, slavery was a constitutional issue in respect to its lack of address.

The Abolition of Slavery

The abolition of slavery caused several challenges. Given the abolitionist movement that aimed to achieve the immediate liberation of every slave and bring an end to racial discrimination and segregation, the pursuit of these goals had abolitionists expand the political opposition that later raised issues that led to the civil war. Some activities developed over time to address outcomes of the civil war and addressing the rights of African-Americans in the United States. First, leaders such as Lincoln allowed movements or unions to help in liberating and championing of the slaves. Secondly, Lincoln launched the program that aimed at integrating all citizens in the United States regardless of their race (McCrary 5). For instance, in 1776, Lincoln signed Declaration of Independence to promote equality and to prohibit slavery.

Conclusion

In summary, slavery was one of the critical and divisive issues within the history of the American society and politics by the close of the Revolution; the American country was divided between Southerners whose economies were significantly reliant on slavery and northerners where slavery was not economically significant.

Works Cited

McCrary, Peyton. Abraham Lincoln and Reconstruction: The Louisiana Experiment. Princeton University Press, 2015.

Schwartz, Barry. “The Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln’s Many Second Thoughts.” Society 52.6 (2015): 590-603.