Essay On Abolitionism In The Civil War

821 Words4 Pages
Slavery. An institution beloved by the South, but despised by the North. While today it is seen as an atrocious abuse of civil rights, it was the norm in nineteenth century America, although opinions on the topic were very different in the two halves of the country. The North and South increasingly disagreed on many subjects besides slavery, causing considerable tension between the two. Eventually, a breaking point was reached; the South seceded, and both sides declared war. The sides bickered over many issues prior to the split, such as borders, court decisions, and laws. However, these issues all led back to the one common disagreement over slavery. The Civil War began on account of the North and South’s differing opinions on the Dred Scott Decision, the growth of abolitionism, and secession. The Dred Scott Decision played a large role in sparking…show more content…
Abolitionism was a very small movement for a long time in early American history, until the issue of slavery began to grow. Slavery was causing many debates over borders and the introduction of new states. As these arguments grew, so did abolitionism. Harriet Tubman, an escaped slave who smuggled other escaped slaves out of the South, was perhaps the most famous abolitionist. She was a very prominent figure in the Underground Railroad, an organization responsible for the smuggling of thousands of escaped slaves. This abolitionist organization caused uproar from the South, as many of their slaves were being stolen. In an argument over the location of a national railroad, the South was given new laws that required citizens to return escaped slaves back to their owners. Northerners were furious about this, and in response created laws which indirectly nullified the escaped slave laws. This back and forth battle for rights caused extreme tension between the North and South, which led to secession, and eventually to the Civil

More about Essay On Abolitionism In The Civil War

Open Document