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The origins of the Civil War 1846–61
Figure 1.2 A slave auction in Virginia, 1861
More than one-third of the people in the South were slaves, and white Southerners found themselves having to try and justify slavery in various ways: economic, political and moral. As new states joined the USA, a key issue was whether they did or did not allow slavery – whether they were ‘slave’ states or ‘free’ states. The United States relied on a careful balance between these two. If that balance was disturbed, then the political stability of the nation was at risk. In 1820, plans to admit Missouri as a slave state caused problems because it upset the equal numbers of slave and free states. There were a growing number of Northerners who thought slavery was morally wrong and wanted to abolish it throughout the USA. These people were known as abolitionists.
Note:
The abolitionists became an increasingly important political force from the 1830s onwards. They came from a wide variety of groups and classes. Some were liberal humanitarians and some had deeply religious reasons for opposing slavery. They received a lot of support in the popular press of the day. Some abolitionists were prepared to support direct action and joined the ‘Underground Railroad’ (see page 19), helping slaves to escape to the North.
An early compromise between North and South, known as the Missouri Compromise, was eventually agreed by Congress in 1820. Missouri could join the United States as a slave state if Maine, in the north-east, joined as a free state. A second feature of the Compromise proved to be of great importance in the following 40 years: Congress agreed that in the Louisiana Territory bought from France in 1803, there would be no slavery in lands north of latitude 36° 30’ that were still awaiting statehood. The only exception to this was the state of Missouri itself.
Congress The legislative (lawmaking) branch of the US government is made up of elected members and divided into two chambers – the Senate and the House of Representatives. There must be a majority agreement in both houses in order for legislation to be passed.
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