Essay on Slavery, Civil War, and Reconstruction in America

This essay examines the pivotal role of slavery in precipitating the American Civil War and its impact on the political landscape of the United States. It begins by highlighting significant treaties such as the 3/5th Compromise, the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the Dred Scott Decision, detailing their provisions and consequences. The essay argues that slavery's inherent contradiction with fundamental human rights and the principles of equality enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, coupled with economic disparities between the North and South and differing views on slavery, were the primary catalysts for the Civil War. The essay concludes that slavery was the central cause of the American Civil War, which resulted in the reconstruction of the government of the United States.

Running head: SLAVERY, CIVIL WAR AND THE RECONSTRUCTION OF AMERICA
SLAVERY, CIVIL WAR AND THE RECONSTRUCTION OF AMERICA
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1SLAVERY, CIVIL WAR AND THE RECONSTRUCTION OF AMERICA
The heritage of slavery and the American Civil War has changed the political course of
the United States of America. This essay will focus on the role of slavery in leading to the
outbreak of the civil war, thereby changing the course of political history of the United States
(Shi & Tindall, 2016).
Many treaties were enacted in the United States on the rise and the fall of slavery
(Schubert, Dye & Zeigler, 2015). An important treaty among them was the 3/5th Compromise of
1787. The two outcomes of this legislation were that the political representation and taxation of
each slave-owning state would be decided greatly based on the number of owned slaves in each
state.
Another such treaty was the Missouri Compromise, signed in 1820. One outcomes of this
legislation was the granting of statehood to Missouri as a Slave State. Another outcome was the
abolition of slavery in the Louisiana Purchase.
The Compromise of 1850 had five provisions, amongst which two were of major
importance. Mexico was divided into Utah and New Mexico and popular sovereignty was to
decide any question regarding slavery in these states.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act, signed on 30 May 1854, might have been of significant
importance in initiating the American Civil War. The Act enabled the states of Kansas and
Nebraska to choose whether they would allow slavery within their territories. Also, the Missouri
Compromise of 1850 was repealed, which prohibited slavery north of the 36°30' latitude, where
Nebraska was located.

2SLAVERY, CIVIL WAR AND THE RECONSTRUCTION OF AMERICA
The Dred Scott Decision of the Supreme Court of 1857 ensured that slaves, like Dred
Scott, even those belonging to Free States, were not entitled to freedom. In addition, African
Americans would never be recognized citizens of the United States.
The incompatibility of slavery with the economic and political systems of the United
States can be attributed to a number of factors. Firstly, it opposes the basic rights of humans to
liberty and freedom (Foner, 2013). Secondly, the pioneers of the United States Constitution
attempted to establish a political government of the country, which would treat its citizens
equally and slavery violated this equality of every American citizen. Thirdly, the United States
believed in there being a fair and free competition among all its citizens. This could only be
achieved if the people received equal opportunity of participation (Boyer, et al., 2013).
The central cause for the outbreak of the American Civil War was slavery. As it was a
violation of the basic human rights to liberty and freedom, the slaves rose up in revolt. Some
were sympathetic with the cause of these slaves, wanting to fight for their rights. This led to a rift
between the Northern and the Southern states (Dew, 2017). The growing industries in the North
required no slaves and hence, the people desired freedom; while the Southerners favored slavery.
This disunion was also fuelled by Abraham Lincoln’s laws to abolish slavery, which the
Southern states were against. Thus, these factors caused the American Civil War.
In conclusion, from the above discussion, it can be observed that slavery was the major
cause for the American Civil War, which led to the reconstruction of the government of the
United Sates (Randall & Donald, 2016). It was the unfairness of no remuneration for the labor of
the African Americans that had initiated slavery.

3SLAVERY, CIVIL WAR AND THE RECONSTRUCTION OF AMERICA
Reference List:
Boyer, P. S., Clark, C. E., Halttunen, K., Kett, J. F., & Salisbury, N. (2013). The enduring vision:
A history of the American people. Cengage Learning.
Dew, C. B. (2017). Apostles of Disunion: Southern Secession Commissioners and the Causes of
the Civil War. University of Virginia Press.
Foner, E. (2013). Give Me Liberty! An American History: Seagull Fourth Edition (Vol. 1). WW
Norton & Company.
Randall, J. G., & Donald, D. (2016). The Civil War and Reconstruction. Pickle Partners
Publishing.
Schubert, L., Dye, T. R., & Zeigler, H. (2015). The irony of democracy: An uncommon
introduction to American politics. Nelson Education.
Shi, D. E., &Tindall, G. B. (2016). America: A narrative history. WW Norton & Company.