Opposition To Slavery

Starting from the founding of the United States, dating all the way to 1835, slavery was a commonly held practice throughout the United States of America. Although less popular and to a much lesser scale in the north, the problem still existed. During these times slavery was not looked at so much as a problem, but rather an economic opportunity. Because of slavery, the plantations in the United States flourished, producing vast quantities of product to sell for large profits. Charles Post in his work “The American Crucible: Slavery, Emancipation and Human Rights” defends this when saying that, “From the seventeenth century, the slave plantations in the New World were simultaneously integrated into an increasingly capitalist world market.”
It was vitally important to the Northerners to prevent war if at all possible, so the leading politicians began thinking of ways in which there would be as little opposition as possible. One proposition that was posed during this time was the concept of a gradual process wherein over time; slaves would gradually gain their freedom, then eventually leading to the abolition of slavery as a whole. The largest concern for the Northerners during this period was the threat of physical opposition from the South in response to the freeing of slaves. To the Southerners, slaves were seen as signs of financial success. These slaves weren’t just symbols though; slave labor truly did miracles to not only the Southern, but United States economy as a whole. It only made sense that taking the key to financial success away from the Southerners would lead to revolt. The goal of the gradual abolition was to hopefully appease the Southerners, as well as give them time to adjust to paid labor. Jonathan Mercantini writes of the abolitionist movement in New Jersey using these methods in saying
Although this decision led to the beginning of the civil war, the inevitability of war was imminent. The result of the civil war is a now unified nation of States under one constitution which does not allow for the ownership of slaves. This declaration was made by President Abraham Lincoln on January first, 1963, stating, “I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States and parts of States are, and henceforth shall be, free.” Because of the decision to take immediate action, there was no additional prolonging of the freeing of slaves, preventing new generation of black Americans from being raised under the harsh conditions that slaves were forced to live in. In addition it allowed for the eventual progress in the human rights movement leading to more rights for black Americans, including the right to vote. Although the argument of gradual abolition is not looked at heavily today, primarily because we did not decide on this outcome, it is still important to understand. Understanding the past is the key to being prepared for the future. If we cannot learn from our mistakes, we are bound to make them again, and if we then cannot fix our faults, we are subject to failure as not only people, but a