Underground to Canada
US History Essay: Underground to Canada
Though most people might not expect it, minor changes in America are the important things that helped launch the war and the controversy between the slave and free state. The Underground Railroad had many connections to the Civil War especially since slavery was the main problem during this era. The Underground Railroad had a huge significance on the issue of slavery and affected the cause of the Civil War by influencing the North to strengthen their resistance against the South.
There was no actual documentation of when the Underground Railroad began, but some say that it was around 1837. The Fugitive Slave Act was passed in 1850, which was an act that would help slave owners protect their “property” rights, where slaves were considered property. This act allowed a person to take an African American into custody just by pointing out that they were a runaway. Even if they were free, they had no rights to prove their cases. The only things the court needed to send an African American South, was an affidavit asserting that the captive escaped from a slave holder, or a simple testimony by a white witness. These weren’t the only disadvantages of those that were accused. The Federal commissioner would be paid ten dollars if they ruled in favor of the slaveholder, and five dollars if they ruled in favor of the accused. Any citizen who refused to support the Fugitive Slave Act, could be jailed. This act angered the Northerners, and caused them to rebel against it. Though the Underground Railroad started before the Fugitive Slave Act was passed, the act made them want to strengthen their resistance even more. It made travelling in secrecy so much more important since a black person was no longer save in any part of the United States.
Sectionalism slowly increased between the North and the South after the War of 1812. After the war with Britain, cheap goods from Europe flooded the markets in America. These especially
Though most people might not expect it, minor changes in America are the important things that helped launch the war and the controversy between the slave and free state. The Underground Railroad had many connections to the Civil War especially since slavery was the main problem during this era. The Underground Railroad had a huge significance on the issue of slavery and affected the cause of the Civil War by influencing the North to strengthen their resistance against the South.
There was no actual documentation of when the Underground Railroad began, but some say that it was around 1837. The Fugitive Slave Act was passed in 1850, which was an act that would help slave owners protect their “property” rights, where slaves were considered property. This act allowed a person to take an African American into custody just by pointing out that they were a runaway. Even if they were free, they had no rights to prove their cases. The only things the court needed to send an African American South, was an affidavit asserting that the captive escaped from a slave holder, or a simple testimony by a white witness. These weren’t the only disadvantages of those that were accused. The Federal commissioner would be paid ten dollars if they ruled in favor of the slaveholder, and five dollars if they ruled in favor of the accused. Any citizen who refused to support the Fugitive Slave Act, could be jailed. This act angered the Northerners, and caused them to rebel against it. Though the Underground Railroad started before the Fugitive Slave Act was passed, the act made them want to strengthen their resistance even more. It made travelling in secrecy so much more important since a black person was no longer save in any part of the United States.
Sectionalism slowly increased between the North and the South after the War of 1812. After the war with Britain, cheap goods from Europe flooded the markets in America. These especially