CHAPTER 3 LESSON 3

THE QUESTION OF SLAVERY 

While millions of people ​moved west, a major

issue was brewing in the United States: Slavery. By the Key Ideas
mid-1800s, the issue of slavery threatened to tear the
nation apart.
● By the early 1800s, the issue of
slavery sharply divided the country.
● The Missouri Compromise tried to
Slavery in America balance the number of slave states
​ he enslavement of Africans started before the
T and free states
United States was a country. Enslaved Africans first ● The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed
arrived in North America in the 17th century. However, the people of Kansas to decide
whether slavery would exist in the
at the time, slavery was limited. In the early days of the
new state.
colonies, most labor was done by ​indentured
servants​.​ Africans and poor whites worked as
laborers, and the landowners gave them food and Key Terms
housing in return. After a period of five to seven years,
indentured servants earned their freedom. This meant abolitionist
that laborers needed to be replaced. Also, once these cash crops
expansionist
servants were freed, they started their own farms, which indentured servant
competed for resources with wealthy landowners. The morality
idea of keeping workers in life-long servitude became plantation
more appealing to many of the colonists. popular sovereignty
repeal
slave codes

This image shows a group of

enslaved people in a wagon being
sold to slave traders (bottom right).
What impression does this image
give you? What was life like for
enslaved people in the United States?

Exploration and Expansion 1


Slavery Grows
Massachusetts became the first colony to
legalize slavery. For a while, all 13 colonies
permitted slavery. Virginia law stated, “All
servants imported and brought to this Country . .
.who were not Christians in their Native Country
. . . shall be slaves.” Enslaved people under this
definition were primarily African. Masters
considered enslaved Africans to be their
property. Over the next 200 years, the African
slave trade grew dramatically.
Slavery experienced its most rapid growth in
the early 1800s. At this time, a new invention
known as the cotton gin made it faster and
easier to separate cotton fibers from the sticky
seeds. With this invention, cotton farming
became a much more profitable business.
Farmers and wealthy planters began buying
more land so they could grow more cotton and
make more money. Cotton ​plantations​, or
farms designed to grow crops on a
Exploration and Expansion​
This wood engraving depicts the first cotton gin.
The machine immediately propelled cotton
production in the South. ​How did the cotton
gin lead to an increased demand for
enslaved Africans?
large scale, became more common. As the
cotton plantations expanded, so too did the
demand for enslaved people.
In 1808, Congress outlawed bringing
enslaved Africans into the country. However,
this law did not end the slave trade within the
United States. Fifty years after the passage of
this act, the population of enslaved people in the
United States tripled. How was this possible?
Many were born into slavery in the United
States. In addition, by 1850, approximately 1.2
million human beings had been sold in the
domestic slave trade.
Agriculture vs. Industry
Slavery was more dominant in the southern
states, where the soil was best suited for
large-scale farming. In addition, the Southern
economy was based on ​cash crops,​ or crops
that are grown for profit rather than for use by
the grower. Produce all the crops and maximize
profits, southern planters relied heavily on slave
labor. Most farms were small, worked by the
family and only a few enslaved people. But the
largest plantations used hundreds of enslaved
Africans to work the land.
By the beginning of the 1800s, many of the
northern states- including Massachusetts- had
outlawed slavery. Instead of farming, the
northern economy relied on Industries like
manufacturing and shipping. Poor city dwellers,
immigrants, and free blacks worked most of
these factory and trade jobs. Still, the industrial
economy of
This is a photo of a southern cotton plantation in
1915, well after slavery had ended in the United
States. ​What might this tell you about
plantation agriculture in the South in the 19th
century?
2
the North depended on crops grown by enslaved Sometimes enslaved Africans fought back
Africans in the South. The North needed the against their condition in more visible ways.
cotton from the South to use in the textile mills. Many tried to run away to the North or to
Canada and Mexico, where slavery was
Life Enslaved outlawed. If caught, they were returned to their
masters. Sometimes, enslaved Africans were
The life of an enslaved person was more
allowed to work extra jobs in town or around the
miserable than most people living today can
plantation for money. In some cases, the
imagine. Enslaved people had little or no
earnings from this extra work allowed them to
control over their own lives. Most were forced,
buy their freedom. This was possible only with
at the threat of death or punishment, to work
the permission of the slaveholder.
from sunup to sundown for the benefit of the
In a few instances, enslaved Africans
master. Enslaved people could be whipped or
gathered together and rebelled against
beaten for no reason. Slaveholders gave their
slaveholders. Eventually, these rebellions were
enslaved Africans the worst food, clothing, and
put to an end, and those who took part were
housing, as well as almost no medical care.
brutally beaten or killed. In response, many
Some slaveholders separated children from their
Southern States passed a series of laws known
parents and husbands from their wives with no
as ​slave codes​. Slave codes were laws that
concern for their feelings.
defined enslaved people as the property of
Most enslaved Africans try to make the best
slaveholders and greatly limited black freedoms.
of their new situation. They married, had
These laws also included brutal punishments for
families, and tried to form communities. Many
enslaved Africans who rebelled or ran away.
worked to preserve their heritage and traditions
through songs and stories. Some even worked
slowly or pretended to be sick to delay work and
resist their enslavement.

Many enslaved African

Americans in Missouri escaped
into Kansas. When they
escaped, slaveholders often put
out wanted posters. Where is
the slaveholder that posted this
ad from? Why do you think
enslaved people might run away
to Kansas?

Exploration and Expansion​ 3

Opposition Grows
People in every state questioned the
morality-​ whether something is right or wrong-of
slavery. Such moral concerns led some
slaveholders to free their slaves. Many
Americans began to denounce slavery as well.
By the early 1830s, an ​abolitionist​ ​movement
had emerged with the express purpose of
ending, or abolishing slavery.
The movement grew with the publication of
antislavery newspapers such as William Lloyd
Garrison’s ​The Liberator​ and with talented
orators (speakers) such as escaped slave
Frederick Douglass. Abolitionists helped publish
autobiographies of former slaves like Douglass.
They also distributed hundreds of pamphlets
denouncing the practice of slavery.

American ​Portrait 
Frederick Douglass​ (1818-95) was a prominent American abolitionist, author and orator.
Born a slave, Douglass escaped at age 20 and went on to become a world-renowned anti-slavery
activist. His three autobiographies are considered important works of the slave narrative tradition as
well as classics of American autobiography. Douglass’ work as a reformer ranged from his
abolitionist activities in the early 1840s to his attacks on Jim Crow and lynching in the 1890s. For 16
years he edited an influential black newspaper and achieved international fame as an inspiring and
persuasive speaker and writer. In thousands of speeches and editorials, he levied a powerful
indictment against slavery and racism, provided an indomitable voice of hope for his people,
embraced antislavery politics and preached his own brand of American ideals.

​ ojourner Truth​ (born Isabella Baumfree, c.

S
1797 to November 26, 1883) was an African-American
abolitionist and women's rights activist best-known for her
speech on racial inequalities, "Ain't I a Woman?",
delivered extemporaneously in 1851 at the Ohio
Women's Rights Convention. Truth was born into slavery
but escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826.
She devoted her life to the abolitionist cause and helped
to recruit black troops for the Union Army. Although Truth
began her career as an abolitionist, the reform causes
she sponsored were broad and varied, including prison
reform, property rights and universal suffrage.

Exploration and Expansion​ 4

A Time of Turmoil
By 1820, the country had grown from the original 13 states to include 22 states. The country
was evenly split on the issue of slavery. Eleven states prohibited slavery and 11 states allowed it.
Then, territories from the Louisiana Purchase began applying to become full states. Now Congress
had to decide whether to allow slavery in the new territories.

The Missouri Compromise

When Missouri applied to become a state, the representatives in Congress were evenly
divided between slave state and free states. However, the Missouri Territory allowed slavery. Many
in the North feared that if Missouri became a state, it would give slave states a majority of the voting
power in Congress. Slave states felt Missouri should have the right to decide for itself about slavery.
Finally, when Maine applied to become a state as well, a compromise was reached. Maine
became a free state and Missouri a slave state. This maintained the balance of voting power in the
US Congress. But the Missouri Compromise of 1820 did something else. It banned slavery in the
lands of the Louisiana Purchase, north of 36° 30’ north latitude. This included the land that would
become Kansas.

The United States, 1821

Exploration and Expansion​ 5

This engraving shows Henry Clay introducing Compromise of 1850. ​Why was the compromise
created? How did it try to appease both sides?

The Compromise of 1850

By mid-century, the southern states were not thrilled with the Missouri Compromise. They did
not like the idea that slavery was banned in such a large area. Four attempts to open the land for
settlement had failed due to southern opposition. The South feared that if the territories without
slavery became states, the North would have more power in the US Congress. The issue of
slavery was threatening to split the nation apart.
Before Kansas could become a territory, Congress once again had to reach a compromise
concerning slavery. California petitioned Congress to enter the Union as a free state, but the
addition of another state would tip the balance of free and slave states. The Compromise of 1850
admitted California as a free state, but in exchange, a stricter Fugitive Slave Act would be adopted
nationally. It said all citizens were required to assist in the recovery of runaway slaves, and fugitive
slaves were denied the right of a jury trial.

Exploration and Expansion​ 6

Kansas Becomes a Territory
A senator from Illinois, Stephen A Douglas,
helped get the Compromise of 1850 through
Congress. But Douglas wasn’t satisfied. The
senator pushed for ​expansionist​ p ​ olicies,
meaning policies to expand economic or
territorial control. As the powerful chair of the
Committee on Territories, he was anxious to
organize the lands of the Louisiana Purchase
into states.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
The southern states had so far blocked all
attempts to allow settlement of the Louisiana
Territory. Douglas knew he needed to offer
something to the southern states in order to
organize the lands west of Missouri. He thought
he might gain cooperation from the South if he
proposed letting the people of a new territory
decide the fate of slavery in that territory. This
was called ​popular sovereignty​. It meant that
the people who lived in the territories would
decided on the issue of slavery.
This provision satisfied the southerners,
and the Kansas-Nebraska Act passed in 1854.
The Act ​repealed​ ​(canceled or overturned) the
Missouri Compromise. It also opened two new
territories for settlement: Kansas and Nebraska.
But those who opposed slavery also opposed
the Kansas-Nebraska Act. They did not want to
see slavery permitted in the new territories.
Exploration and Expansion​
Lincoln and the
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Instead of creating compromise, the
Kansas-Nebraska Act divided the country even
further. Those against the act came together to
create the Republican Party. Abraham Lincoln,
a congressional representative from Illinois,
made a name for himself speaking against the
Kansas-Nebraska Act and against the expansion
of slavery. Lincoln came to Kansas for
speeches in Elwood, Troy, Doniphan, Atchison
and Leavenworth. Lincoln believed that there
were crucial issues, like freedom, which were
not up to the majority to decide. He was angry
that Congress had given up control of the
expansion of slavery. He said in a speech:
The doctrine of self-government is
right--absolutely and eternally right--but it has no
just application, as here attempted. Or perhaps I
should rather say that whether it has such
application depends on whether a Negro is not
or is a man . . . If the Negro is a man, is it not to
that extent, a total destruction of
self-government, to say that he too shall not
govern himself?
7
Indian Removal From Kansas
Before the Kansas-Nebraska Act, only American Indians and people representing the US
government could live in Kansas. Traders and families moving west passed through Kansas but did
not stay. The opening of the Kansas and Nebraska Territories attracted individuals and families
seeking new opportunities. During the 1850s, people searched for more land to settle. There was
also talk of a national railroad that would connect the East and West Coasts. Suddenly the land in
Kansas looked desirable to American settlers.
However, American Indians already occupied Kansas. When eastern tribes were moved to
Kansas, they were told this land would belong to them forever. The idea of a “permanent Indian
frontier” motivated the US government to set aside land for the use of native peoples. President
Andrew Jackson had promised, “There your white brother will not trouble you, they will have no
claims to the land, and you can live upon it, you and all your children, as long as the grass grows or
the water runs, in peace and plenty. This did not happen.
Shortly after the Kansas-Nebraska Act passed, the Delaware Indians signed a treaty giving up
much of their land in Kansas. One by one, the government forced the Indian tribes in eastern Kansas
to sign treaties giving up their lands for new lands in Indian Territory (modern-day Oklahoma). Chief
Ketchim of the Delaware express his frustrations:
Our Great Father told us when he gus us this land . . . I shall never again
request you to remove somewhere else . . . Therefore I did not think . . . that
he would in a few years . . . make me some other new offer for this place he
had given to his Delaware children and to their succeeding generations.
In the 1800s most Americans had little
understanding of American Indian cultures.
Many people assumed it was the duty of
native peoples to adjust to the white
people’s way of life. If tribes were slow to
assimilate to the white ways, they were
removed from the path of settlement.

George Catlin drew this political

cartoon (left) called “Pigeon’s Egg
Head going to and returning from
Washington” (1831-1831)

What do you think Catlin was

saying about the Indian’s
assimilation into the American
way of life?

Exploration and Expansion​ 8

The Kansas Question
The Kansas-Nebraska Act did not settle the issue of slavery in the United States. The political
fighting that emerged created serious conflicts. All eyes were on Kansas, where antislavery and
proslavery forces squared off. The outcome became the focus of eastern newspapers. The press
fanned the flames, causing more and more people to focus on the “Kansas Question.” Would Kansas
expand slavery or not? Many historians pointed to the events in Kansas Territory as the beginning of
the Civil War.

Exploration and Expansion​ 9