Fall Of Slavery

FALL OF SLAVERY

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Slavery in the U.S. started as early as in the 16th century. The slaves comprised the

Africans who were mainly kidnapped from their homes. Research indicates that there were over

12 million of slaves who were transported from their homes into the western counties such as

Britain, Spain and the United States. For over 200 years, the Africans were enslaved in these

countries. By the 1800s, most of the countries had abolished slavery, but there were numerous

people who were still being held illegally.

The process through which slavery ended was a long

and tedious one because whereas there were some people who were against it, there was also a

considerable number of people who were supporting slavery. Furthermore, the economic value

of slavery meant that its beneficiaries would resist its abolition. The enslaved Africans were used

for free labor at various plantations. The Atlantic slave trade made the southern states have more

slaves than the northern ones. Even though the slavery provided the much-needed labor for

economic development of the U.S., its abolition was critical for the reputation of the country and

the respect for human dignity.

The abolition of slavery in the U.S. started in 1808. According to Brion, “American

abolitionism was always confined to a small minority….”

This means that only a few people

initially opposed it. The states in the south and in the north were on two opposite sides regarding

the issue.

The southern states benefited immensely from the free labor, while the north had very

few slaves, and they offered little to no labor that would amount to any economic value.

. Eric Foner, Give me Liberty! An American History (New York: W.W. Norton, 2001), 56-114.

.David Brion Davis, Inhuman Bondage: the Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World (New York: Oxford

University Press, 2008), 22-310.

. Eric Foner, Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History (New York: W. W. Norton, 2016), 24-85.

Therefore, most of the antislavery societies, which there were over a hundred, were from the

north. The fall of slavery started with the resistance by some of the black slaves such as Fredrick

Douglas. Additionally, periodicals such as “The Liberator” by William Garrison led to the

growth of the movements against slavery.

The largest conflict based on slavery was the Civil War. Prior to its beginning, there were

some facts that motivated the north to call for the abolition of slavery.

Majorly, the north was

economically advantaged over the south with established industries and manufacturing plants.

Moreover, the northern states engaged in small scale farming. This implied that they hardly

needed slave labor. On the other hand, the south viewed the abolition of slavery as a threat to

their farming business. There were huge coffee and tobacco plantations in the south; therefore

the need for slave labor was immense. In 1861, due to the differences between the north and the

south, the Civil War began. Fourteen southern states rejected the call for emancipation by

Abraham Lincoln, and this triggered the conflict. The southern states decided to form the

Confederate States of America, which would fight against the Union. The war has led to the

death of over 620,000 soldiers. The defeat of the Confederate States was a major step towards

the fall of slavery in the United States. Even though the war lasted for more than four years,

eventually the Union emerged victorious in 1865.

The fall of slavery in the United States was not only driven by the Union, but also by the

slaves who played an integral part. There were thousands of slaves in the Confederacy who ran

away to the northern states in the hopes to become free. Many black slaves resisted orders from

. David Brion Davis, Inhuman Bondage, 22-310.

their masters and sang freedom songs. Moreover, there were numerous slaves who joined the

Union army and fought against their oppressors.

Even though the south was against the use of

slaves as soldiers, it is evident that during the war, some states started to consider arming their

laborers. However, there was the fear the armed slaves would rise against their masters and free

themselves. In a bid to maintain the control over them, the owners ensured that they were divided

and even caused fights amongst them.

Despite the end of the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham

Lincoln, there were still some states that used slaves for labor. Unfortunately, the slave trade did

not stop with the end of the war. There is evidence that in the 1870s there were African slaves

that were being moved into the south of America. But there were positive results as well. After

1863, over four million slaves from the Confederate States were freed.

It is important to note

that the Union was supported largely by the international bodies, which were against forced

labor.

The Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution were

the two primary written laws that sought to end and criminalize slavery. However, the drafters of

these policies knew that their implementation would take immense time and servitude and that

the process would likely continue for several decades. Furthermore, the U.S. Constitution is not

self-enforcing. Therefore, the provisions in the amendment would necessitate enactment by the

relevant agencies. The road to freedom was difficult and elusive for the Africans in the U.S. In

. Robin Blackburn, The American Crucible: Slavery, Emancipation and Human Rights (London: Verso, 2011), 88-

147.

. Rocky Mirza, The Rise and Fall of the American Empire: A Re-Interpretation of History, Economics and

Philosophy: 1492-2006 (Victoria: Trafford, 2007), 102-154.

order to ensure that the black were not enslaved again, up to 1877, Union troops were stationed

in various Confederate States where black people were living with former slave owners. This

was the period that was largely known as the Reconstruction Era.

Although slavery was declared illegal except for the purposes of punishment, a new form

of it developed over the years. In the south, there were no prisons and the black people who were

arrested were subjected to involuntary labor. This was achieved through the convict leasing

programs. Historians have opined that the arrested people were never criminals, and they were

accused of wrongs that they never committed.

Notably, there were some disadvantaged or poor

white people who were also arrested and subjected to these conditions as well. The Africans who

were declared as being legally free were never completely unrestricted. States in the south

developed legislations that would deny the freedom of the former laborers. For instance, their

movement and interaction with the white were restricted. This gave rise to the issue of

segregation and racial discrimination in the United States.

Even though the U.S. outlawed slavery, it never gave the black community rights equal to

those of the white people. This was the cause of the rise of the Civil Rights Movement in the

1950s. Some black leaders such as Martin Luther King were vocal about the oppression that the

black people were subjected to. They fought for the right to be treated equally at the hospitals,

schools, and jobs. Additionally, they believed that they were being paid lesser salaries and wages

than the white people. The white were favored, and besides getting the white-collar jobs, they

were also offered housing in the big cities while the black resided in the city outskirts. The Civil

Rights Movement was successful in ensuring that the black were treated with respect and

. Robin Blackburn, The American Crucible, 56-89.

dignity.

The struggle against slavery and oppression of the disadvantaged races culminated in

the election of an African American as the U.S. president.

It is evident that the journey of abolishing slavery was painstakingly long and violent.

The division between the North and the South over the issue was a major block towards equality.

This was due to the differences in industrial development and economic progress in the two

regions. Whereas the American South relied heavily on large-scale farming, the North only

engaged in small-scale farming. This implied that the labor requirements for the two areas were

different. The southerners resisted any attempts to free the laborers vehemently. The United

States, in general, were against any form of servitude. It would have been hypocritical for the

country to support slavery whereas it sought freedom from its colonizer, Britain. It would have

also come under criticism from other countries. The election of Abraham Lincoln as the

president was a major step towards the fall of this practice. The resistance by the South to free

their slaves led to the Civil War that left 620,000 soldiers dead. Although the defeat of the South

signaled the end of servitude, it is clear that it never ended entirely and the black people were

still subjected to forced labor. Programs such as convict leasing ensured that some races were

oppressed and worked for no pay. The struggle and determination by the Civil Rights Movement

since the 1950s ensured that the people of color enjoyed rights and protections equal to the white

people.

. Eric Foner, Voices of Freedom, 24-85.

Bibliography

Blackburn, Robin. The American Crucible: Slavery, Emancipation and Human Rights.

London: Verso, 2011.

Davis, David Brion. Inhuman Bondage: the Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World. New

York: Oxford University Press, 2008.

Foner, Eric. Give me Liberty! An American History. New York: W.W. Norton, 2011.

—. Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History. New York: W. W. Norton, 2016.

Mirza, Rocky. The Rise and Fall of the American Empire: A Re-Interpretation of History,

Economics and Philosophy: 1492-2006. Victoria: Trafford, 2007.

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