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The Fugitive Slave Act Essay
Compare and contrast viewpoints about the fugitive slave act
Fugitive slave act of 1850 daniel webster
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The American Civil war was a war between the North and South of the United States over issues that had divided the nation for many years. The fighting broke out in April of 1861, and the war ended in May of 1865 (HistoryNet.com). However, the North and South had been disagreeing for many years before. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a book written in the years leading up to the Civil War showed a new perspective on slavery to many Northern citizens (Encyclopaedia Britannica). The Kansas-Nebraska Act was one of the events that pushed the two sides over the edge into war. The Fugitive Slave Act also strengthened the divide between the Northern and Southern states. But, the attack on Fort Sumter, was first time the Confederate (Southern) and Union (Northern) …show more content…
The book sold around 300,000 copies in the United States alone, and also became very popular in Great Britain (Encyclopaedia Britannica). Many Northerners that read the novel gained new knowledge of how truly awful slaves’ lives were, and they understood on a deeper level how wrong slavery was (ushistory.org). This only worsened Northern views of the South and further strained the relationship between the North and South. Those who read the book in the North felt so strongly about freeing the slaves that lived those harsh realities, so much that the Fugitive Slave Acts could hardly be enforced (ushistory.org). The readers in Great Britain were also so moved by Stowe’s writing that the British government could not easily support the Confederacy in the war later on …show more content…
The first Fugitive Slave Act was passed in 1793 (History.com staff). It allowed the capture and return of any runaway slaves on American soil, and it stated that any person who aided in the escape of a slave would be fined $500 (History.com staff). Many Northerners and abolitionists ignored this act and strengthened their efforts to help runaway slaves (History.com staff). So, in 1850, the second Fugitive Slave Act was passed. It also allowed the capture and return of runaway slaves on American soil, but it increased the punishment for aiding in the escape of a slave to a $1000 fine and 6 months in jail (History.com staff). Again, abolitionists fought this act and increased their efforts to help slaves escape even more (History.com staff). In this time, the Underground Railroad became very popular as many slaves tried to reach Canada, where they would be off of American soil (Encyclopaedia Britannica). Many Northern States also created and adopted their own laws that attempted to invalidate the Fugitive Slave Acts (History.com staff). These acts opened many more debates between pro and anti-slavery states, and South Carolina referred to the laws passed in the Northern States regarding the Fugitive Slave Act as a part of their rationale for seceding from the Union (History.com
When Abraham Lincoln met Harriet Beecher Stowe, he said, “So, this is the little lady who made this big war”(“History.com Staff”2). After Stowe published Uncle Tom’s Cabin, there was a rumor that this book led to the Civil War. Uncle Tom’s Cabin turned a lot of people in the North against slavery. The people in the North wanted slavery to end which caused them to fight the South. The most important topic of Uncle Tom’s Cabin is that slavery was worse in the South than in the North. Slavery was worse in the South than in the North because of the hard labor, the freedom policy, and the treatment of the slaves.
The Civil War was when the United States split because of the injustice of slavery. The North insisted to free the slaves, but the South refused (Wulf et al). After four years of fighting, the south surrendered at the Appomattox court house on April 9, 1865. By that time, over 680,000 americans had died. Even though the war was over, there was still tension between the North and the South, and their anger was directed at Abraham Lincoln, which eventually lead to a story that changed the United States forever (O’Reilly and Zimmerman 33-37).
The American Civil War was fought between the North (The Union) and the South (The Confederates), because of the South wanting to secede from the North. Lincoln's election as president in 1860, triggered southerners' decision to secede believing Lincoln would restrict their rights to own slaves. Lincoln stated that secession was "legally void" and had no intentions of invading the Southern states, but would use force to maintain possession of federal property. Despite his pleas for the restorations of the bonds of union, the South fired upon the federal troops stationed at Fort Sumter, in Charlestown, Virginia. This was the event that decided the eventual beginning of the Civil War. Despite the advantages of Northerners, their victory in the ...
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe is a classic novel that some people claimed evoked the American Civil War. Stowe motivated people to take sides over the issue of slavery by discussing the issue and showing the cruel aspects of it. The main focus of the novel was to show whites that African American’s have souls and feelings like any other human; it was common for whites at the time to view blacks as cattle. Families were separated, and the white people’s reasoning was that blacks did not feel the loss the same way a white person would. Stowe’s basic argument is that it is wrong to mistreat blacks because they suffer just as much as whites.
The North believed slavery was an evil act and the South believed the opposite of slavery. The North felt it was wrong because the slaves were not being treated equally or in any good treatment. The historical context for Document H , is that Uncle Tom’s Cabin was an anti-slavery novel , where it follows the story of a slave and goes in depth with the mistreated life a slave had , helping with the abolitionist idea. The slaves being mistreated brought many to rethink the idea on slavery to people who agreed with it. The North believed it would violate the principle of democracy and they were doing wrong. The audience of Document C , is for the northerns and abolitionist to let them see the slaves had no rights until proven they could , leading
Uncle Tom's Cabin is said to have been a book that tells the truths of slavery. It does this by telling the actual things that happened to many slaves. By publishing this book, Stowe made those who knew nothing of the evils of slavery realize how cruel it really was, and by doing this she made the South angry. She made the North so angry at the South that the two began to fight over slavery. This is truly one of the reasons why the Civil war began.
In 1850, a document called the Fugitive Slave Act was passed. Primarily, this document dealt with the reclaiming of runaway slaves. This law allowed southerners to call upon the federal government to capture runaway slaves who had fled the South and may be living in the North. The Fugitive Slave Act and the laws that went with it only caused controversy in the North. This split the North and South. In reaction to this, some northern states passed laws forbidding state officials to enforce the Fugitive Slave Law, which only angered the southern states. Northerners had become aware of the hypocrisy of slavery and became resolved to end slavery. Many abolitionists started to take action to help slaves escape. This major controversy over the runaway slaves sparked the beginning of the Civil War.
Written in the early 1850s, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe historically arrested the nation with the outspoken realities of only a few of slavery’s captors. It begins in the benign Shelby household, where the many slaves were treated with dignity and respect. Among them was the devout and docile “Uncle” Tom, the eldest of the slaves and the father to all. Another was Eliza, a religious, mulatto maid to the Mistress of the house, and her beautiful toddler, Harry. And when Mr. Shelby accumulates debts that need to be settled, Uncle Tom and Harry are sold to a slave trader.
The popularity of Uncle Tom’s Cabin during the 1850’s, contributed to the growing strength of anti-slavery in general. By turns sentimental and realistic, Harriet’s story appealed strongly to 19th-century readers. As stated by McGuire, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was the first book by an American author to have its main protagonist as an African American. How was this tiny novel so well-known? “Stowe knew how to appeal to a wide audience. She skillfully used images from virtually every realm of culture--including religion, sensational pulp fiction, and popular entertainment--and brought them together in memorable characters and two compelling anti-slavery plot lines” (Reynolds). Perhaps these were the reasons why the book sold more than 300,000 copies in its first year, as stated by McGuire. By 1852, Uncle Tom's Cabin broke all previous sales records for American novels (Goldner). As soon as word got out about this new, upcoming story, almost every anti-slavery supporter wanted to read it! In 1852 the Literacy ...
The original Fugitive Slave Act was made in 1793. One of the things this stated was that slave owners were allowed to search for their escaped slaves in states that didn’t believe in slavery. When a slave (or a person suspected of being a slave) was caught, the people (or person) went to court to get the slave returned to it’s owner. If enough evidence was provided, the slaves were returned to their owners. This act also made it so that anyone who helped slaves in anyway, such as hiding them, were to face a $500 fee. Many people, especially those from northern states, disagreed with this act. The people of the northern states felt as if their land was being used by bounty hunters. They also disliked how, with people taking free African Americans as slaves, it felt as if the act was leading up to the legalization of kidnapping. Certain people who disagreed with this act created groups to help save slaves, and even created housing for them that would be safe for them to escape to areas where slavery was illegal.
The title Uncle Tom’s Cabin is significant because it inspires hope in the people and the readers. Slavery was a huge thing in the 1800’s, and the story takes place in the Southern parts of America where the slave problem was the worst. Uncle Tom was a person that the Shelby’s plantation looked up to because he had such great faith in God that never dwindled, wanted the best for everyone, and he wasn’t afraid to risk his life to make someone else's better. First, when Tom had to deal with the fact that his Master St. Clare died and he would have to go to Legree’s plantation, after already moving from Mr. Shelby’s, he accepted his fate. Since he was raised as a Christian,Tom continued to put a lot of faith in God, mainly during the years he
... I could only visualize the hardships that slave families had to endure. I was saddened by the fact that these things really did happen, and the worst part was that they happened all the time. I would have been just as devastated if my family was ripped from my arms and traded like livestock. Stowe painted a vivid picture of the lives of slaves. Stowe may have had a bias opinion on
“As it is, we have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. Justice is on one scale, and self-preservation in the other.” This quote said by Thomas Jefferson accurately depicted the political, economic, and social issues that were presented in the 1800s. The novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin written by Harriet Beecher Stowe created a massive awareness politically and socially for the abolitionist movement. Throughout Uncle Tom’s Cabin Stowe paints the picture of the cruel and unjust treatment of slaves on large plantations in the 1850s. Although Uncle Tom’s Cabin shows that large scale plantations showed empathy towards their slaves after the 1830s; however, Uncle Tom’s Cabin accurately depicts the lives of slaves after
Uncle Tom’s cabin written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The story is about Mr. Shelby selling Tom and Harry, the son of Eliza, to Haley. Eliza warns Tom and that they should leave, but Tom stays while Eliza and Harry leave. Then Eliza and Harry go to Canada and met up with Eliza’s husband, George. Tom on the other hand, gets sold to St Clare and befriends a little girl, Eva . After two years Eva dies, and St Clare’s wife, Marie sells him to Legree. Tom helps another slave, Cassy to escape. Legree whips Tom until Tom talks, but Tom doesn’t talk. Legree whips Tom to near death, then Mr. Shelby comes to buy Tom, but it was too late. A little after Mr. Shelby gets there Tom dies. Cassy and another slave met up with Eliza. Cassy finds out that she is the daughter of Eliza and then go to France. In France they decide to go to Liberia, and they live there.
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote the anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin along with other lesser known works. Stowe wrote to bring to light the wrongs in society, most notably slavery. The literary period, the historical period, the community in which she lived, her family background, her religious beliefs, and her education all influenced Stowe’s desire to write Uncle Tom’s Cabin illustrating the lives of slaves. Despite the criticism she received, she continued to support the abolitionist movement with the same conviction, her actions eventually fulfilling her true goal: freedom.