1850 Dbq Analysis

The 1850’s were one of a chaotic time in American history. The North and the South were fighting over the slavery issues such as its legality, and the south’s economic dependency on it. The North viewed slavery as immoral and unconstitutional, but the South wanted slavery to stay because it was the South’s right to do so. Africans were long viewed by other people as the lowest beings, as property; therefore, in their favor the constitution justified slavery, William Lloyd Garrison even went as far as burning the constitution because it was a ‘pro’-slavery document. The North and the South were divided but they could not let go of each other’s throats. They attempted to compromise to prevent larger conflicts, but unfortunately, there were various
Stephen Douglas made a remark about compromise in his speech in Alton, Illinois,”… Our fathers knew, when they made the government, that the laws and institutions which were well adapted to the green mountains of Vermont, were unsuited to the rice plantations of South Carolina.” In order for those laws of Vermont to be suite to South Carolina, Vermont has to give up something and South Carolina has to give something back, like obeying those laws for instant. The government was built upon compromise. Before the Civil War and in Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address, Lincoln repeatedly said, “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so…” Lincoln was being persuasive in getting the South states to stay in the Union. He knew that slavery will be abolished soon but it was not the time yet. Lincoln went about winning the Congressmen seat by figuratively trapping Douglas; he cornered him with questions during the Lincoln-Douglas Debates on slavery. Lincoln thought it was wrong but wanted to leave it alone, but Douglas had been tied to the Kansas-Nebraska Act which almost allowed slavery in an anti-slavery North but didn’t thanks to popular sovereignty, which is a decision that is decided by its people. Lincoln claimed he was going against the North by letting slaves in the Northern Territories, Lincoln (Republican) went on to lose the Congress seat to Douglas but later beat him for the Presidency of 1860. Again, in an attempt to save the Union, this time by Lincoln, failed because the South knew Lincoln would abolish slavery one way or another. They knew he would do so because of his speech given at the Republican state convention in Springfield, Illinois. He said, “…I believe this Government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free…It will become all one thing, or all