Slavery in the South
The rise of cotton farming in the South was the leading cause of extensive slavery witnessed in the region in the 18th and 19th century. With cotton farmers expanding their lands and increasing the plantation of cotton, the demand for slaves increased tremendously. By 1810, the number of slaves had increased to more than one million. Cotton growers with large numbers of slaves could put them up as collaterals for buying more land. By 1850s, cotton had become the backbone of the Southern economy, and slaves and slavery were considered an essential aspect in the production of the crop. The Cotton Revolution gained its popularity, and it was a period of capitalism, panic, and stiff competition in the cotton market.
Fear and paranoia started to erupt among the white cotton farmers when the slaves began to be more united on the bases of common suffering. Slaves began to communicate in the slave market and united to help their families, reduce their affliction, and frustrate their owners. Slaves started to resist and frustrate their owners by causing delays in cotton production by running away, getting pregnant or injuries. Almost all slaves shared a sense of unity in the workforce. Their owners were beginning to be threatened by this unity.
The unity among slaves created fear among the slave owners and cotton growers as they feared that the slaves could stage violent rebellions. The slaves had endured mistreatments in the farms, and almost all their rights were severely violated. The cotton growers feared that the slaves could rise against them in a violent rebellion. The fact that the number of slaves had increased drastically in the past decades fuelled this fear in the mind of their owners, farmers, and even politicians (Shi & Tindall 2016). Farmers and merchants were also worried that the resistance could negatively affect the production of cotton since slavery was a crucial aspect of production.
By 1860, the population of slaves in the South had increased to almost four million. The slaves had created their own culture, family and kinship ties, religious practices, systems of trade, and social aid organizations within the system of slavery (Shi & Tindall 2016). Family and kinship networks allowed slaves to pass ideas between relatives in various plantations, which created a sense of belonging among the slaves. The slaves also married among themselves, which served to strengthen their cultural identities. Slave owners felt threatened by this unity, and many marriages could be separated by selling or moving one party to another farm.
The events leading to the Civil War made many anti-slavery activists worried that slavery was expanding at an alarming rate. Several anti-slavery parties like the American Party and the Free Soil emerged. However, none of these parties was able to present anti-slavery policies at the national level. The Kansas-Nebraska Act, which was enacted in the 1850s annoyed the anti-slavery activists, which made them come together to form a stronger political party which came to be known as the Republican Party.
The first meeting of the Republican Party took place in Wisconsin, and members of the former Whig Party, who had now joined the Republican Party, suggested the name to be changed to the Democratic-Republican Party. During the 1860 elections, the Democratic Party become divided over the slavery issue. The party split up into two sides; the Northern Democratic Party and the Southern Democratic Party (Richardson, 2014). Northern Democrats opposed the expansion of slavery while most Southern Democrats felt that slavery should be expanded across the states. Although the Southerners had a reason to be worried about the end of slavery, the Northerners could be perceived to be more rational in this issue. Slavery was inhumane in many aspects and calling for its expansion could compromise the moralities and constitutionality of the United States in future.
References
Richardson, H. C. (2014). To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party. Basic Books.
Shi, D. E., & Tindall, G. B. (2016). America: A narrative history. WW Norton & Company.