Slavery, Abolition and the South - Essay Example

Slavery, Abolition and the South The and Slavery, Abolition and the South Introduction Racism has always been existent in the United States. The Civil War was one of the most awful and most devastating wars that have never been experienced in the American History. For four lengthy and gruelling years, an army that consisted of men from both the Union and the Confederate had a harsh experience of combat and faced great hardships due to rigorous campaigns. Under these hard circumstances, a great number of ordinary men, probably millions, who had volunteered to serve in the army underwent indescribable affliction. These men voluntarily engaged in hard battles and continued to sacrifice their lives throughout the war despite the fact that they were faced with death, being mutilated, being attacked by diseases and even being separated from their homes (Beckles 2000). Much of the fascination however is drawn from the willingness of the common Union and Confederate soldiers to engage in a war that was so ferocious and terrifying that today’s America cannot even imagine in engaging in such a fight (Blackmon 2008; Davis 1975). In For cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in Civil War, James McPherson, who is the author, has a unique opinion on his argument on why the soldiers initially went to war, He argues that the soldiers were encouraged to join the army as a sign of duty, loyalty and honour. He further argues that the images of manhood were just as essential to soldier motivation as group unity was. Moreover, McPherson believes that fanatic religious belief and ethnic animosity were not the main factors (McPherson 2002). One of the most seeming motivations that spanned the entire four soldier account was the enthusiasm of a sense of nationalism by having common discussion on the preservation or creation of a new government and nation. Both the Unionist and Confederate soldiers greatly used rhetoric and the country’s symbols of freedom, legacy and the constitution in expressing their drives of volunteering for service (Shankman 2014). However the North and South had a different logic and mode of approach to the use of these symbols. The South attained their nationalism and government due to their motivation for having fought in the civil war in a more tangible way as compared to their Union counterparts (Grayling 2007; Engerman 2001). One of the greatest seeming motivations that spanned the entire four soldier accounts was the motivation of a strong sense of patriotism by conversing the creation and or the preservation of a government and nation. Both the union and Confederate soldiers were motivated to volunteer into the army and used rhetoric and symbols of country, freedom, legacy and a constitution to uphold their motivation (Dudley 2001). The North and the South however, had a different logic to the use of this rhetoric. The South attained their nationalism and government as an inspiration for fighting in the Civil War in a more pronounced way as compared to their Union counterparts (Vile 2010). Confederates had a belief of fighting as the only mechanism of preserving the Southern nation and if they could not be engaged in any fights then they could not have a country worth of a name (Grayling 2012). The Union however fought to preserve the nation that was perceived in liberty from disintegration and destruction (Lester 2009). Basing on the believe of the Northerners, the union was the actual last hope for the republic government as a number of other nations had their governance to be under despots and kings (Lester 2009). Another motivation of soldiers that made them get enlisted and fight in the civil war was that of family. Having to fight for their country was a means of protecting their families (Goldfield 2003). In as much as they found it rather too difficult to leave the comfort of their homes and families, they had in mind that getting to war was the best way of securing the future of their families (Keith 2002; Goldfield 2003). Those who remained at home played a crucial role in encouraging and motivating the soldiers to enlist and continue fighting. Their support or lack of it played a major role in boosting the morale of the soldiers. Similarly to the significance of family, another factor that motivated the soldiers to enlist and continue fighting is the idea of peer bonding and interaction and having to focus their image on the eyes of their peers (Blanchard 1969; Garrison 1995). Comprehending these adversities of soldiers gives a better understanding as to the reasons of the soldiers enlisting and remaining in the ranks of the civil war. There were many motivations which were unique depending on the circumstances of each individual soldier. However, common motivations included duty, honour, their race, family, peers and most significantly their sense of nationalism. These were such dear factors to the soldiers that rose and sustained their desire to get out of their secure homes and be enlisted in the civil armies of the civil war. There were many things that were fought by the northern soldiers. They were fighting to rescue the Union from the destruction and anarchy that was on by the southern secession. They also fought on a basis of justifying their current war effort by making a comparison of their plight with that of Revolutionary soldiers. Lastly, they were fighting to set the slaves free and end slavery in the United States (Emrys 2011). According to the Northerners, secession was a clear abuse of the constitution and they could not allow to be disunited. Many troops were however not willing to join the war since it was perceived to belong to the blacks. This attitude however did change as time progressed since initially the troops were reluctant to give their lives in order to free the black slaves. (Filler 1960). The Confederate had in a way a common motivation of fighting as compared to that of the Northerners. They had a common believe in duty and country but unlike the Northerners, they felt to be the ones fighting to preserve the American way of life. They viewed the North as a tyrannical empire that was determined to take away property and freedom. They perceived the North as an assailant and matched the actions of the Confederacy to that of the original thirteen colonies who had taken an own initiative in building their own nation. The perception of a nation and its defence became an issue of concern to the Southerners as well. They got prepared of attacking the North while maintaining liberty at their home empire. Attention shifted from fighting to free the slaves to fighting for personal liberty. The southerners openly declared that they were fighting against slavery but in their belief, they were fighting to prevent the Northern invasion of the South. The North’s major ambition gradually grew to fight in the Civil War to end the slavery. This feeling was evident among the troops by the mid of 1863. They recognized that the liberation of the slaves in the southern empire would damage the South economically and that could bring to a quicker end of the war. In addition, the union had come to acknowledge that the blacks could help the union army in fighting to end the war. Although the union was willing to end the slavery in the north, few of the whites wanted to share equal rights with the blacks. In as much as they believed, slavery was morally wrong and had to come to an end, they were unwilling in 1863 to grant Africans equal rights and liberty in America. The uprooting of the old institutions and replacement of new ones championed for a free labour entrepreneurial capitalism. However, the aftermath of the war saw the Sothern Empire in deep poverty with a drop in the agricultural economy due to the release of the African slaves. America’s economic growth after the war did not only exclude the South, but also lead to the advancement of new problems that included water and air pollution, wasteful utilization of the natural resources, and the rise of the urban industrial society. However, all these struggles and challenges build up together to really define the United States of America. As it can evidently be seen, the various reasons given by the soldiers who were in the civil war from the north and from the south gave almost similar reasons on why they engaged on the war. These included, duty, historical and country and were concepts used to justify the war. But on the contrary, on the issue of slavery, they were far apart James Mcpherson’s For cause and comrades: Why men Fought in theCivil War is a dependable book whose reading brings out a balanced but somewhat ideological interpretation of the reason behind the engagement of men in the bloodiest and most destructive war to its nasty end. Through the clear writings about the civil war soldiers, McPherson can argue persuasively in a thesis that “Civil war soldiers voluntarily made extraordinarily sacrifices, including that of life itself, for the principles they held at to be at stake in the war. Abolition of slave trade in the United States Slave trade was abolished in the United States in the late 19th century (1808). However, slavery practices went on for the next five decades. The fight to end slave trade in the United States was extremely long and harsh. Many antislavery societies pushed for the end of slavery through the use of periodicals such as Garrison’s “The Liberator” and through the active participation in resistance by the black people. In as much as slavery and slave trade came to an end towards the end of the 19th century (1865), the Black American’s life did not improve as they were subjected to other forms of discrimination, for instance, segregation, for more than a century. Civil right movements and activists such as Martin Luther King achieved great success in fighting for legal equality (Dyck 1955; Blackmon 2008; Engerman 2001). However, in as much as great efforts have been made towards improving the lives of most Black Americans, most of them still face economic and social discrimination and other forms of segregations Abolition of slavery and slave trade in South America Despite the end of slave trade in Europe and America in the early 19th century, slave trade practices were evident until the end of the 1870s. Some of the Africans were still enslaved and subjected to a bitter environment even after 1807. The largest proportion of slave trade activities occurred between Africa and South America, notably, Brazil and Cuba. Brazil was actually the last country in South America to end slave trade in the year 1888. Despite the major participation of blacks in American politics, reconstructing of the South was very frustrating for African Americans. The Whites felt more supreme leading to formation of racist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan in the South. Racism and discrimination that began in the slavery era was still evident in the 1960s which led to the formation of civil right movements. Defence of slavery in the South Those who were in defence of slavery and slave trade in the south such as the economists, historians, religious leaders, humanitarians, socialists among others, came out to challenge the decision that had been made by the abolitionists to end slavery and slave trade. Those who defended slavery and slave trade in the South argued that ending the act would have a profound negative economic impact to the Southerners since the economy of the South highly depended on slave labour. Since the South’s economy highly depended on farming, abolishing slave trade would lead to the collapse of cotton, tobacco and rice farming in big plantations. These cash crops could hence cease to be profitable. Those who defended slave trade also argued that ending slavery could lead to massive unemployment, crime, bloodshed and anarchy. Some of the defenders of slavery mentioned argued that slavery existed even from the ancient times. The Greeks, Romans and even the English historically had slaves. They hence turned to the courts who had passed a ruling that all the blacks, including the slaves, were a property and interpreted that the constitution protected the slave-owners’ rights to their own property. Comparing the life condition of the slaves between Europe and the South, the slave defenders argued that the Southern slaves were better taken care of. They argued that the South slave owners took good care of the sick and aged slaves unlike Europe where once fired, the slaves were left to take care of themselves. Conclusion There was slavery in both the North and the South. Slaves in the South were required in almost every aspect of life’s activities such as working in cotton, coffee and tobacco plantation. They not only worked in the rural plantations but also in the cities doing different tasks such as loading and unloading ships and other forms of hard labour. The North became more industrial than the South. Since the North became industrialized, they needed more skilled workers in which the slaves could not fit. This led to most slaves being freed. The North also valued education more than the South. Even though the reconstruction era tried to rebuild the South, the efforts were not fruitful. Even today, the legacy of Slavery in the South and its economic crumble is still felt. The North enjoys dominance in the industrial sectors hence being more successful than agriculturally dependent South. It is important to note that the Civil War was not only about slavery, but also about the Rights of the State. Slavery was the main issue that generated a great conflict as the Southerners felt that they had a right to better lives than the one that they were being subjected to. Bibliography Beckles, H. (2000). Caribbean slavery in the Atlantic world: A student reader. Kingston [Jamaica: Ian Randle ;. Top of FormBottom of Form Blackmon, D. (2008). Slavery by another name: The re-enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II. New York: Doubleday.Top of ForBottom of Form Blanchard, J., & Rice, N. (1969). A debate on slavery. 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