For once my history teacher gave us an essay about our real opinion. :eek:
Would the Southern states, who seceded, have seceded had there been no slaves?
:confused:
Right now im not so sure about the topic cause its so... controversial (is that the right word?)? Like maybe they would have b/c of the greater northern economic and cultural machine but once slavery is added in, no idea what would happen... Some help would be useful!!! :p
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Patience is a Virtue.... or so they say :D
A thing to do when you're bored:Play with Fire
I'd say probably not. I mean slavery was the driving course of the Civil War. For the south, they were the labor force of the plantation owner and the brunt of the subsistence famer's self-esteem. As long as there were slaves, at least he still had a higher rank in society. After the Fugitive Slave Law and the Compromise of 1850 had been overall discredited, there was really no where to go after that, and that was the reason that the South seceded essentially. The other matters could have worked themselves out in time. But the slavery issue had made the south sit in an uncomfortably position not only with their northern neighbors but with their European counterparts across the sea.
Chajinka wrote: I mean slavery was the driving course of the Civil War.
Kinda true but they never said that :p . The war was supposedly about keeping the Union together but near the end Lincoln did put out the Emancipation proclamation.... hrm.... why is such a easy topic becoming such a headache???
Patience is a Virtue.... or so they say :D
A thing to do when you're bored:Play with Fire
I wish my teacher would give me an opinion paper... but since this is supposed to be your opinion, I can only tell you what I would suggest concerning the topic:
The southern states would not have seceded if slavery had never been established because the agricultural phenomenon in the south would never have developed without the intense slave labor. The plantations would not have flourished, the planter's society would never have developed, there would be no rift between the poor southern democrats and the rich southern democrats. There would be no radical republicans in the north urging the government to punish the rebellious south.
It could be argued that we would never have won the Revolutionary War or formed successful colonies without slave labor.
As immoral as it is, it cannot be denied that the institution of slavery played a vital role in the formation of American life. It could be argued that without slavery, not only would there be no southern secession, but no America as we know it.
... that's kinda rambly and vague, lol, but I hope it gets you thinking!
Really gets me thinking a bit to late. :D it was due today but thanks for the help anyways!
Patience is a Virtue.... or so they say :D
A thing to do when you're bored:Play with Fire
Hey, I thought I'd let you in on the irony of a situation. Today we had finals for APUSH and our free response essay was about whether or not the South would have seceded without the slave issue. Lol.