There has been an ongoing debate throughout history about whether or not governments, through the social contract, have the right or the power to dictate morals, specifically the morality of slavery. Do governments have the power to tell their constituents what they can or cannot believe in or practice? If they have this power what will stop them from becoming tyrannical?
In the Constitution of the United States of America, slavery is endorsed, even protected through the Fugitive Slave clause found in Article IV Section 2 Clause 3, and the furthering of the importation of slaves in Article I Section 9 Clause 1. Slaves were also protected as property to broaden votes in the south through the Three-Fifths Compromise in Article I Section 2 Clause 3. Slavery was protected for the economic good of the people and communities and for the good of the Union. When the thought of abolishing slavery reached the southern states uprisings were inescapable. However, through history those who enslave others live in constant fear of those they enslave. Living in this fear, along with constant reminders to the slaves of who was boss, helped repel riots. A famous slave rebellion in American history is the Nat Turner rebellion in 1831 as he and his accomplices together killed over 50 whites before being stopped and put to death (Andrews). By making examples of those who rebel it kept the other slaves in check and forced them to continue to do the work that the masters could not, in their sight see accomplished in any other way. When the government tried to change the status quo they sent the country into one of the darkest periods of our history, the Civil War. In the course of the Civil War there were estimated 1,100,000 and it cost over 620,000 li...
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The Author of this book (On our own terms: race, class, and gender in the lives of African American Women) Leith Mullings seeks to explore the modern and historical lives of African American women on the issues of race, class and gender. Mullings does this in a very analytical way using a collection of essays written and collected over a twenty five year period. The author’s systematic format best explains her point of view. The book explores issues such as family, work and health comparing and contrasting between white and black women as well as between men and women of both races.
"The American constitution recognized slavery as a local constitution within the legal rights of the individual states. But in the North slavery was not adaptable to the local economy, and to many, it contradicted the vision of the founding fathers for a nation in which all men are to be free. The South considered slavery as a necessary institution for the plantation economy. It was linked to the local culture and society. As the United states expanded, the North worried that the South would introduce slavery into the new territories. Slavery had become both a moral issue and a question of political power." (Kral p61)
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Slavery today is a large concern to many people, just as it always has been. Any type of slavery is considered immoral and unjust in today’s society and standards. However, before the Civil War, slavery was as common as owning a dog today. Many in the United States, particularly in the South, viewed slavery as a “positive good” and owned slaves that were crucial to their business and income. However, the Civil War then changed the lifestyle of many southerners in a negative way. After the Civil War, slavery was abolished and any man owning a slave was required to let them free and view them as an equal. This was a difficult thing to do and eventually led to a downfall and destroyed economy in the southern United States. Abolishing slavery hurt the country economically and socially at the time and slavery was socially acceptable.
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Slavery has been a part of human practices for centuries and dates back to the world’s ancient civilizations. In order for us to recognize modern day slavery we must take a look and understand slavery in the American south before the 1860’s, also known as antebellum slavery. Bouvier’s Law Dictionary defines a slave as, “a man who is by law deprived of his liberty for life, and becomes the property of another” (B.J.R, pg. 479). In the period of antebellum slavery, African Americans were enslaved on small farms, large plantations, in cities and towns, homes, out on fields, industries and transportation. By law, slaves were the perso...