Civil War Slavery

Slavery was a paramount part of society in the Southern United States during the years leading up to the Civil War, but the opposite was true in the North. There was a large division between these two parts of the country, which led to conflict in westward expansion and domestic politics. Slaves were treated as lesser beings by their owners. They were never taught to read or write because educated slaves would want freedom, as seen with Nat Turner (The Confessions of Nat Turner). He was a slave who learned how to read and write, but ending up leading a rebellion that killed 55-65 people, becoming the largest slave uprising in American history. Many Northerners disagreed with this. They believed that slaves were people and deserved to be treated …show more content…
When deciding, the government wanted to keep balance in the Senate because there are two representatives, no matter the size of the state. One of the first pieces of legislation was the Wilmot Proviso (Wilmot Proviso, 1846). It said that all land acquired as a result of the Mexican American war was to be free; there would be no slavery allowed. The South didn’t like this as they wanted slavery to continue into the westward territories. It didn't pass. Another piece of legislation was the Compromise of 1850 (Compromise of 1850). It stated that California was to be admitted as a free state, Utah and New Mexico would be territories but slavery would be decided by popular sovereignty, it ended the slave trade in Washington, D.C., and created a stricter fugitive slave law. The admission of California and the end of the D.C. slave trade pleased the North, but they were also upset by the stricter fugitive slave law, which made it easier for slave owners to get their escaped slaves backs even if they were in free states. The North was also upset by the Dred Scott Decision (Dred Scott vs Sanford, 1857). It was ruled by the Supreme Court that slave owners can take