Slavery
Slavery was deemed as the cheap labor needed to fuel the cotton economy of the South. It is important to note that the lower South was more dependent on slavery than the upper South. The upper South was more diverse; hence cotton was not the primary economic activity (book p279). It, therefore, meant the upper South needed slavery less than the lower South, which relied heavily on cotton production. Even though slavery was prominent in the entire U.S., the North slowly started moving away from the slave trade. The fact that slave labor was highly needed in the Southern cotton plantations meant that the North participated in the slave trade through the selling of slaves to Southerners. Over time, however, the narrative changed at the inception of the Constitution. The Constitution emphasized equality and slavery did not support the equality narrative. The North was against the slave trade, which was even more emphasized through the election of Abraham Lincoln, who was anti-slavery.
The election of President Lincoln was seen as a threat by the South, which was pro-slavery. Not only would a ban on slave trade impact cheap labor (Rhea, 2011), it would also impact the economy, which heavily relied on slavery. Slaves not only worked on cotton plantations but in other areas such as cooking, cleaning, brick layering, and blacksmith jobs. As urbanization tool place, it required a different kind of labor. Immigrant workers coming into the U.S. for a better life were thus more viable. The shift from agriculture to industrialization in urban cities would eventually reduce the need for slave services for those of immigrants (book p286). Slavery, in this regard, began to lose its importance, and it was evident that further urbanization would eventually impact slavery.
Need For Secession
A ban on slavery would, therefore, not only mean a lack of labor on cotton farms but also in cities that relied on slave services. It is in this regard that the South sought secession to retain its slavery agenda. The North was becoming industrialized hence needing a different type of labor force to work in the new factories (“Slavery: Cause and Catalyst of the Civil War”, n.d.p5). Slavery, in this regard, was becoming more irrelevant. The South saw a ban on the slave trade as a route to an economic downfall as the cotton business would collapse. It is important to note that cotton trade steered not only the South’s’ economy but the entire U.S. economy.
Politically there was a debacle on whether a ban on trade should be at a state or federal level (“Slavery: Cause and Catalyst of the Civil War”, n.d., p10). The South sought to promote trade in the West, which the North was against. Progression to the West would not only have increased slave trade but slave trade territories. An increase in slave trade territories would automatically translate to political power. Slave trade was, in this regard, not just an economic aspect but a political aspect as well. (Rhea, 2011). The South needed to enlist more territories, and with joining of more free states, the anti-slavery narrative become a political threat. Having more anti-slavery states meant that political muscle would lean towards the predominantly anti-slavery North. The need for political and economic safety further necessitated a need for secession to maintain the slavery status quo.
Conclusion
Slavery meant different things to the people involved. For some, it was a form of financial gain through the slave trade. For others, it was a source of labor for farm owners who needed labor consistently. It was also a source of cheap labor as slaves worked menial jobs in various sectors. The Constitution envisioned equal rights and is synonymous with civil rights. In this regard, slavery was bound to cease if the Constitution was to be upheld in its entirety.
Rhea, G. (2011). Why Non-Slaveholding Southerners Fought. American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved 30 April 2020, from https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/why-non-slaveholding-southerners-fought.
Slavery: Cause and Catalyst of the Civil War. Nps.gov. Retrieved 30 April 2020, from https://www.nps.gov/shil/learn/historyculture/upload/slavery-brochure.pdf.