The History of America
America prides itself on a rich history spanning between the period after colonization to the civil war. Generally, America was recovering from the impacts of colonization and attempting to build an identity. However, history involves both positive and negative policies that affected Americans in various ways. The period is associated with hardships and victories that were won by the Americans, and the policies made during that period have remained valid to date. One of the significant aspects during the post-colonial era was slavery that has remained relevant both economically and politically in America. The three-fifths compromise, Missouri Compromise of 1820, Compromise of 1850, Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the Dred Scott Decision are among the issues that unfolded during the post-colonial period, with each policy having a different outcome on the Americans. Slavery was an aspect that came up after the colonial era, with America finding a source of labor for the plantations to grow cotton and other crops. The ending of slavery came after the civil war after a conflict ensued between the northern and the southern states, with each bloc having a different perception concerning slavery. The history of America is built along with a series of events that have grown significantly to shape current America.
The three-fifths rule was an attempt to discriminate the slaves from taking part in the policymaking activities in America. Generally, one slave was counted as three-fifths of a person, and their decisions served to disadvantage the states from which they were slaves (Rosin, 2018). The first outcome of the three-fifth rule was the compromise on the constitution. A state that participated in the presidential election counted less if the slaves were counted and counted more if the slaves were not counted. Secondly, the three-fifths rule created an equal number of free and slave states and affected several outcomes that required the counting of supporters of an opinion. The three-fifths rule paved the way for other compromises such as the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
Sectional tensions were growing across American, and the Missouri State was admitted as a slave state, with Maine being recognized as a free state. The admission came to be known as the Missouri compromise of 1820. Generally, the Missouri compromise led to two significant outcomes and was aimed at solving the slavery menace (Klinger, 2018). First, the compromise managed to keep peace in America between the anti-slavery states and the slavery states. Secondly, the compromise led to a negative impact on the issue of slavery since the gap between the slave states and the free states grew more significant, with more states applying to either be admitted in the slavery bloc or the free bloc. The Missouri compromise was short-lived as the Kansas-Nebraska Act replaced it.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was a countering effort against the Missouri compromise. Pro-slavery advocates had admitted that the Missouri compromise was a long-lasting agreement aimed at solving the slavery conflict. However, an Act that allowed the residents of Kansas and Nebraska to choose whether or not to allow slavery in their borders was passed in 1854. The Act was taken in good faith by the pro-slavery states and led to several outcomes. First, the split between pro-slavery and anti-slavery individuals widened. Secondly, acts of violence grew up as the two groups fought to win dominance of the two states, Kansa and Nebraska. Generally, the Kansa-Nebraska Act further worsened the situation and led to more unrest as America was on the verge of the Civil war. Moreover, the Kansa-Nebraska Act came after the compromise of 1850.
America was recovering from the American-Mexican war, and the question of slavery was creating unrest in the whole of America. The Compromise of 1850 came to cool the temperatures by ending the slave trade in Washington, D.C., and leaving the question of slavery to be determined by the sovereignty of the people. Therefore, the outcomes of the Compromise of 1850 included the end of the slave trade in Washington, D.C., and admission of California as a free state. The attempts to come up with the Compromise of 1850 were made to cool the situation after the conflicts between pro-slavery and anti-slavery blocs.
A debate has been going on between different groups on whether slavery was compatible with the U.S. political and economic system. Generally, the U.S. is a capitalist economy, and slavery has not been favored. Capitalism was seen to be against slavery way before the civil war and can be attributed to the eventual end to slavery in America. The debate generally comes up with individuals expressing concern about the objectives of the two aspects. Usually, slavery was based on profit-making because masters enjoyed the supply of free labor in return for massive returns and profits. Therefore, slavery was profitable. Also, capitalism is based on profitability, with the people in power appearing to exploit those without power in a bid to make more profits. However, slavery has not been compatible with the U.S. economic and political system due to several reasons.
Slavery is not a profitable venture in the long run. At the time of the civil war, slavery had grown unpopular among the Americans. The economic growth of the slave states was suppressed, and the states were beginning to shift their attention from slavery (Hedtke, 2018). Generally, the long-term impact of the slaves was becoming evident, with the return going low over time. Furthermore, the slaves were not motivated to embrace new skills and technology, and thus, slave labor was becoming unreliable. Secondly, the slave trade came with the need to embrace diversification. The cost of production was going up while the cost of maintaining slaves remained constant. Farmers were therefore forced to diversify their production to avoid that would come with specialization. However, diversification also led to additional costs, and eventually, farmers preferred hired labor that would be easily manageable. Thirdly, slavery did not appear as a profit-making venture to most Americans. Generally, most slave owners were proud of their plantations and did not pay attention to the need to make profits. Such perceptions were not compatible with a capitalist economy that pays attention to profits.
The Civil War has been termed as the end that was waited for slavery in America. Slavery had caused enmity and separation between the North and South, with the northern states advocating for the end of slavery (Evans, 2016). The South, on the other hand, had enjoyed the benefits of slavery and was not willing to admit to any attempts to end slavery. Slavery has been widely viewed as the primary cause of the Civil War, although other factors are responsible. Economic and political factors have been argued as possible causes of the war that left the unity of America at crossroads.
The causes of the Civil War revolve around slavery and other disagreements between the North and South. First, a gap had existed between the lifestyles in the two blocs. People from the northern states worked in industries while their counterparts in the southern states embraced slavery and continued to push for slavery. Secondly, the states’ rights worsened the gap between the states with the southern states feeling that the federal government was gradually taking away power from the states. The southern states blamed the northern states for allowing for the passing of the constitution. Thirdly, slavery was interpreted differently between the North and the South. The northern states believed that slavery was wrong and evil, while the southern states believed that slavery was a way of sustaining their economy. Therefore, the northern and southern states had significant differences that eventually led them to war.
In sum, the history of America is built along with a series of events that have grown significantly to shape current America. The three-fifths rule paved the way for other compromises such as the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Slavery has not been compatible with the U.S. economic and political systems for the fact that slavery is not profitable in the long run and is unpopular among Americans. Slavery had caused enmity and separation between the North and South, with the northern states advocating for the end of slavery hence viewed as a possible cause of the civil war. The northern states believed that slavery was wrong and evil, while the southern states believed that slavery was a way of sustaining their economy.
References
Evans, S. (2016). Linking the Histories of Slavery: North America and Its Borderlands. Civil War Book Review, 18(3), 7.
Hedtke, J. R. (2018). American Civil War: Facts and Fictions. ABC-CLIO.
Klinger, J. N. F. (2018). Road to the Civil War: The Missouri Compromise. Perceptions, 4(2), 5- 5.
Rosin, M. L. (2018). The Three-Fifth Rule and the Presidential Elections of 1800 and 1824. U. St. Thomas LJ, 15, 159.