After the Revolution, Northern and Southern states found themselves diverging on several political, economic, and social topics, including slavery. However, the two regions still found some common ground in spite of their differing views. Despite abolishing slavery in the North, Northern whites didn’t take the necessary measures to abolish slavery in the South and create equality between whites and blacks until they found it beneficial for themselves. Even with the growing divide between the North and South, both sides’ actions ultimately upheld white hegemony throughout the country. The turn of the 19th century introduced industrialization to the states, with most of it focused in the North while the South continued as an agricultural economy.
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The “Missouri question” initiated a debate on the admission of Missouri as a slave state, which “upset[s] the balance” between North and South political power in Congress and Senate (177).2 Afraid that the South would overwhelm them in government, the North had to “embrace federal action against slavery for the first time” (178)2 and agreed to the Missouri Compromise. Northern politicians only decided to take the first steps to abolishing slavery throughout the country because their power in government was threatened. In fact, many white abolitionists from the North supported colonization (187)2 because they felt threatened by the increasing population of free blacks, a “dangerous and useless part of the community” (165).3 Northern whites supported colonization because it created a purely white country, which restores white supremacy. By ridding the country of all blacks, it also ridded their guilt of involving themselves in slavery in the first place. Because of their involvement in slavery, they felt threatened for their safety, afraid “that [blacks], being men, and not brutes, will retaliate” (64).4 Most of the incentives for colonization benefitted whites but did not take free blacks’ perspectives into account, showing that abolitionists’ goal at the time was not
The “Missouri question” initiated a debate on the admission of Missouri as a slave state, which “upset[s] the balance” between North and South political power in Congress and Senate (177).2 Afraid that the South would overwhelm them in government, the North had to “embrace federal action against slavery for the first time” (178)2 and agreed to the Missouri Compromise. Northern politicians only decided to take the first steps to abolishing slavery throughout the country because their power in government was threatened. In fact, many white abolitionists from the North supported colonization (187)2 because they felt threatened by the increasing population of free blacks, a “dangerous and useless part of the community” (165).3 Northern whites supported colonization because it created a purely white country, which restores white supremacy. By ridding the country of all blacks, it also ridded their guilt of involving themselves in slavery in the first place. Because of their involvement in slavery, they felt threatened for their safety, afraid “that [blacks], being men, and not brutes, will retaliate” (64).4 Most of the incentives for colonization benefitted whites but did not take free blacks’ perspectives into account, showing that abolitionists’ goal at the time was not