SECTIONAL CONFLICT

The Jacksonian era of optimism was clouded by the existence in the United States of a social contradiction - increasingly recognized as a social evil-that would eventually tear the nation apart: - slavery. The words of the Declaration of Independence ‘that all men are created equal’ - were meaningless for the 1.5 million black people who were slaves. Thomas Jefferson, himself a slaveowner, recognized that the system was inhumane and wrote an attack on slavery into the Declaration, but Southern delegates to the Continental Congress forced him to remove the passage.

The importation of slaves was outlawed in 1808, and many Northern states moved to abolish slavery, but the Southern economy was based on large plantations, which used slave workers to grow cotton, rice, tobacco and sugar. Still, in several Southern states, small populations of free blacks also worked as artisans or traders.

In 1820, Southern and Northern politicians disputed the question of whether slavery would be legal in the western territories. Congress agreed on a compromise: Slavery was permitted in the new state of Missouri and the Arkansas territory, and it was barred everywhere west and north of Missouri. But the issue would not go away, some organized themselves into abolitionist societies, primarily in the North, Southern whites defended slavery with increasing ardor. The nation was also split over the issue of high tariff, which protected Northern industries but raised prices for Southern consumers.

Meanwhile, thousands of Americans had been settling in Texas, then a part of Mexico. By the 1830s, American settlers in the large Mexican province of Texas outnumbered Mexicans. They also talked about independence from Mexico. This desire for Texas to become independent sharply increased in 1833 when General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna overthrew the Mexican government and set himself up as dictator of all Mexico. Santa Anna cut off all new American migration to Texas and increased taxes on Americans already living there. In response, the Texans revolted in October 1835 and proclaimed the Lone Star Republic.

Many Texans didn't want independence; they wanted their land to be part of the United States. Several requests were made to have the United States annex (take over) the Lone Star Republic. These requests were politely refused As a result, the government of Texas started showing increased friendship for Britain. This caused some Americans to worry that Texas might become linked to British North America. Finally, in 1845, Texas became a state of the United States of America. Mexico refused to recognize this action. War was declared against Mexico, and Mexico was defeated in the war.

A peace treaty between Mexico and the United States set the boundary between Texas and Mexico along the Rio Grande River. For a payment of $18,250,000 Mexico turned over the immense California and New Mexico regions to the United States. These regions include the present states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.

In 1846 by settling a long-standing border dispute with British Canada, the United States had acquired clear title to the southern half of the Oregon Country - the present states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Thus America became a truly continental power, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

The acquisition of these new territories revived a troubling question: Would newly acquired territories be open to slavery? In 1850, Congress voted another compromise: Califomia was admitted as a free state, and the inhabitants of the Utah and New Mexico territories were allowed to decide the issue for themselves. Congress also passed the Fugitive Slave Act, which helped Southerners to recapture slaves who had escaped to the free states. Some Northern states did not enforce this law, however, and abolitionists continued to assist fleeing blacks. Harriet Beecher Stowe of Massachusetts wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin, a sentimental but powerful anti-slavery novel which converted many readers to the abolitionist cause. The issue of slavery became, in American politics, economics and cultural life, the central point of contention.

There were bitter clashes between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers. In Virginia in 1859 John Brown, who was against slavery, tried to raise a revolt of the black slaves. Though this attempt was crushed by the government and John Brown was executed his example was never forgotten. The anti-slavery movement became a mass movement in the country.

Abraham Lincoln (I809-1865) demanded a halt to the spread of slavery. He was willing to tolerate slavery in the Southern states, but at the same time he affirmed that "this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free."

Lincoln was the son of a poor farmer, a settler of Kentucky. His father could not even read. Their rich neighbor, a planter and slave-holder, took a dislike to the Lincoln family, because they were friendly with the Negroes. As a result Lincoln's father had to sell his farm and move west, to the new territory. Young Lincoln helped his father on the farm. He was an excellent worker and was well known for his physical strength. Lincoln took up different jobs in his youth. He was a clerk in a store, a raftsman on the Mississippi River. He was respected in his home country and was elected postmaster. During the period he held this post, he prepared for his law examinations. In 1848 Lincoln was elected member of Congress. In 1858 during the election campaign the whole country followed with great attention the speeches made by Lincoln against his opponent Senator Douglas who supported slavery. In his speeches he said: "Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people". Here is another part of his speech: "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all of the time".

Date: 2015-01-02; view: 912