Dred Scott Case Study

The institution of slavery has been around since the pilgrims came to America. The southern economy of the United States has always been centered around large-scale farming with slavery on plantations growing cotton and tobacco. The northern and southern regions of the United States have very different economies. The north revolved around manufacturing and industry, while having some agriculture on a small-scale. The South had been bullied by the North for too long; last straw came in November 1860 when Abraham Lincoln won the Presidential Election. The South knew that the heart of their economy (slavery) was in danger of emancipation. Within three months, seven states, out of an eventual eleven, from the South seceded from the United States …show more content…
Southern plantation owners were afraid of their livelihoods being destroyed because without slaves they would not be able to keep their plantations going. Without the slaves doing essentially free labor the plantation owners would have to change their entire way of life. The times of sitting on the porch drinking ice tea would be over. The plantation owner would have to go to work on their plantations because even though they seemed wealthy, that was only because the labor was free; granted the slaves were housed and fed to a minimum. Paying the slaves to work would decrease their income by quite the large amount. Contrary to popular belief, some of the south agreed with Lincoln’s plan for limited slavery, however the south was against complete emancipation which was Lincoln 's plan all along. Which makes sense because emancipation meant an end to many plantations. The combination of the south not feeling represented in the election and Lincoln going for complete emancipation is ultimately what led to the South seceding. As the saying goes, “Fool me once shame on me, fool me twice shame on you.” The south was definitely fooled in the election because, as stated previously, there was no way for Lincoln to lose the 1860 election. They were fooled again when Lincoln went for complete emancipation, after previously stating that he was for limited slavery; which in turn would lead to the Civil War. There were many factors that led into the Civil War, if they had not all happen in such close proximity the result might have been different. The combination of the 1860 election, the Dred Scott case, and the nation being divided by Abraham Lincoln all led to the