Chapter 3: An Empire for Slavery
McPherson states that Southerners prior to the Civil War advocated states' rights and a weak federal government, except in regards to the Fugitive Law of 1850. This law gave an immense power to the federal government. In response to this, the Underground Railroad rose up, but it wasn't as large-scale as we believe it to have been. Not many fugitives ever escaped from the lower South since there were the most slave-owners in that area. Uncle Tom's Cabin also played a deep role but its exact political influence is unknown. Harriet Beecher Stowe was angered at the entire country for the sin of slavery and played on the evangelical conscience of the North to make her mark.
The South was also weaker than the North in terms of economic growth. Population growth was 20% higher in free states than slave states which seemed to occur because of the lack of employment. Most immigrants settled in the North, so even if slaves provided natural increase, the North was further ahead in terms of economic development.
The South also had a lack of industrialization, due to the South agrarian system. They had the Jeffersonian ideal that they could be independent, but there were other reasons. The lack of a home market was due to southern consumers' buying Northern goods. Many also believed tilling more cotton allowed them to have more cotton, and thus, never wished to industrialize. Cotton and other Southern crops were booming in the 1850s. Due to the low cotton prices in the previous decade, some economic diversification took place. But when demand for cotton rose, planters became obsessed with finding more land, which would lead to a need for more slaves, since it was slaves who farmed those crops. (Cotton was actually called the killer crop because slaves were imported down South to work them and many died when they toiled in the terrible conditions.) This created "an empire for slavery" and which is why the South wasn't (and still isn't) as modernized and industrialized as the North. The founding of the Knights of the Golden Circle, which was to promote a "golden circle" of slave states from the American South through Central and South America, showed southerners' desire to stay agrarian and maintain their lifestyle of slaves and cotton.
President Polk also wanted to continue Manifest Destiny to Cuba, though his efforts failed. Later, Cuban soldier Narciso Lopez organized a new expedition of filibusters and was hailed as a hero when he burned the governor's mansion in Cardenas, Cuba. But the expected revolution never arose. Once again, filibustering took place during Pierce's presidency, but his only expansionist achievement was the Gadsden Purchase.
Key Terms:
Questions:
Citations:
McPherson states that Southerners prior to the Civil War advocated states' rights and a weak federal government, except in regards to the Fugitive Law of 1850. This law gave an immense power to the federal government. In response to this, the Underground Railroad rose up, but it wasn't as large-scale as we believe it to have been. Not many fugitives ever escaped from the lower South since there were the most slave-owners in that area. Uncle Tom's Cabin also played a deep role but its exact political influence is unknown. Harriet Beecher Stowe was angered at the entire country for the sin of slavery and played on the evangelical conscience of the North to make her mark.
The South was also weaker than the North in terms of economic growth. Population growth was 20% higher in free states than slave states which seemed to occur because of the lack of employment. Most immigrants settled in the North, so even if slaves provided natural increase, the North was further ahead in terms of economic development.
The South also had a lack of industrialization, due to the South agrarian system. They had the Jeffersonian ideal that they could be independent, but there were other reasons. The lack of a home market was due to southern consumers' buying Northern goods. Many also believed tilling more cotton allowed them to have more cotton, and thus, never wished to industrialize. Cotton and other Southern crops were booming in the 1850s. Due to the low cotton prices in the previous decade, some economic diversification took place. But when demand for cotton rose, planters became obsessed with finding more land, which would lead to a need for more slaves, since it was slaves who farmed those crops. (Cotton was actually called the killer crop because slaves were imported down South to work them and many died when they toiled in the terrible conditions.) This created "an empire for slavery" and which is why the South wasn't (and still isn't) as modernized and industrialized as the North. The founding of the Knights of the Golden Circle, which was to promote a "golden circle" of slave states from the American South through Central and South America, showed southerners' desire to stay agrarian and maintain their lifestyle of slaves and cotton.President Polk also wanted to continue Manifest Destiny to Cuba, though his efforts failed. Later, Cuban soldier Narciso Lopez organized a new expedition of filibusters and was hailed as a hero when he burned the governor's mansion in Cardenas, Cuba. But the expected revolution never arose. Once again, filibustering took place during Pierce's presidency, but his only expansionist achievement was the Gadsden Purchase.
Key Terms:
- Knights of the Golden Circle: a group who wanted to promote a "golden circle" of slave states from the South through Central and South America in an effort to expand slavery and their agrarian lifestyle.
- Uncle Tom's Cabin: a novel published by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852 that portrayed slavery as immoral and cruel
- Fugitive Slave Law of 1850: a law that made it illegal to help runaway slaves (fugitives)
- filibustering: Adventurers/pirates who conduct a private war against a foreign country
Questions:
- Did Uncle Tom's Cabin lead to outlash by Southerners (the book didn't mention this)?
- How was the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 enforced?
- Did filibustering lead to any actual land gained for America (or slave states) or was it only a political tactic by Polk and Pierce?
Citations:
- McPherson, James M. "3: An Empire for Slavery." In Battle Cry of Freedom, 78-116. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.
- Accessed March 11, 2015. http://cdn.history.com/sites/2/2014/01/fugitive-slave-act-AB.jpeg.
- Accessed March 11, 2015. http://cache.coverbrowser.com/image/greatest-novels-of-all-time/119-1.jpg.
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