Lauren Henderson's Blog : Slavery as a Cause & States Rights

States' Rights

As tensions grew between the north and south over slavery, politics and government began to become an issue. The balance of powers was first addressed in a 1819 Supreme Court case, McCulloch vs. Maryland. Chief Justice John Marshall can to the conclusion that the federal government had more power and authority than the states. Before the Civil War, the south believed that they should be able to allow slavery and that they should not have to follow the tariff act of 1828. While the northerners believed they should be able protect them from the Fugitive Act. This only further separated the states, dividing the north and south more and more each day.

Slavery

Slavery goes back as far as Ancient Rome. Slavery was needed, and considered normal by most people living during the time. This practice was needed to build buildings and keep the city up and running. While it is likely the severe punishment that we think of when slavery comes up was not common, it is told that everyone living in Athens, Greece owned at least one slave. Fast forward hundreds of years to the beginnings of the Triangular Slave Trade, when slaves would come to America, tobacco would go to England, and European supplies were shipped to Africa. After Columbus first sailed the ocean blue, new colonists experimented with Native Americans as slaves, but when that failed, they looked further and ended up taking slaves to Africa. Slavery first started in Jamestown, and stayed in the south. It became a part of everyday life, a ritual, almost a religion. Quakers who lived up north did not believe in slavery and the northerners were focused on industry and not farming which required great labor. The south showed great resentment towards the north, and tensions were growing. Slavery was a big cause of the Civil War, in many different shapes and forms. The south thought that the states should hold most of the power, was a contributor because the south probably had the plan to legalize slavery. Both sides had so many differing opinions about the approach to slavery that war was the only possible way to settle the conflict. Slavery today to me is basically what are government is like. Republicans and democrats go at it every day, arguing over how to solve the economic meltdown and debt.