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American Civil War
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American Civil War
The period of the American Civil war played an undisputable role in the historical progress of the American People. The period saw several laws and movements passing and embracing that significantly affected black liberation. At the heart of the civil war, there were the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, the 1850 Compromise, and the 1852 publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which were considered to be major causes of the war. Based on different historical events presented, the American Civil War was unavoidable. The Compromise of 1850, in particular, was a set of five measures to quell the increasing enmity between the North and the South over slavery (Corbett et al., 2014). It was feasible to establish stricter Fugitive Slave Laws, abolish the slave trade in Washington, D.C., form the states of New Mexico and Utah without mentioning slavery, and declare California a free state with the support of the agreement.
The Fugitive Slave Law of the year 1850 was a vital component of the compromise. It permitted the return of enslaved people who had escaped to free states and gave federal commissioners significant authority in enforcing the law. This law enraged northern abolitionists even more because they saw it violated their freedom and the states’ rights (Corbett et al., 2014). In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published, heightened tensions between the North and South. Stowe’s writing, widely read in both the North and the South, emphasized the horrors of slavery and the plight of African Americans. It helped to spread abolitionist fervor and anti-slavery sentiment throughout the North. The American Civil War was unavoidable; it should go without saying. A peaceful conclusion was not possible, as indicated by the North and South’s rising hostility toward one another over the issue of slavery, as well as the Supreme Court’s verdicts in the Dred Scott Case and other cases. The Civil War erupted following the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates, effectively ending the Union (Reynolds, 2021).
References
Corbett, S. P., Janssen, V., Lund, J. M., Pfannestiel, T., Waskiewicz, S., & Vickery, P. (2014). U.S. History. OpenStax.
Reynolds, D. (2021). The Civil War. Cavendish Square.
QUESTION
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
- Textbook: Chapter 12, 14
- Lesson
- Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, pick three (3) of the leading causes of the American Civil War:
- The Compromise of 1850
- The Fugitive Slave Law 1850
- Uncle Tom’s Cabin 1852
- The Kansas Nebraska Act 1854
- The Dred Scott Case of 1857
- The Lincoln Douglas Debates 1858
Then, address one (1) of the following for your selections:
- Based on the historical facts given in this module, assess if the American Civil War was inevitable.
- Analyze if the United States Supreme Court can settle legal and moral issues through judiciary review. In your response, provide a documented example of a modern parallel of a legal or moral issue settled by the United States Supreme Court.
TEXTBOOK REQUIRED IS https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/1-introduction