How Did The Abolitionists Contribute To The Civil War

There has always been issues that have divided people among a nation, but nothing that has been as destructive as the issue of slavery. The practice of slavery not only divided many families but divided a nation and started a war amongst them. The ability of not being able to compromise or to end the practice cause a division of a nation that would go down in history.
As every issue has two sides, here are the strong views that would lead the United States to war. The abolitionists were very demanding in their fight of abolishing slavery. They believed that slavery was a sin and that God did not want this. They looked to the bible where God communicated with Moses and showed him how to break the bonds of slavery from Egypt and led his followers to the promise land. The abolitionists had many outspoken men that were preaching how wrong slavery was, but
the one that lead the march was Theodore Weld, he was a young preacher that slavery was immoral and a sin.
Even though Weld took approach of religious righteousness, and that the only way to proceed was to have immediate elimination or slavery now. While many other abolitionists believed that gradual emancipation and colonization was a better way to slowly phase out slavery. They believed by freeing the slaves that they could join the workforce and then be able to fend for themselves. The abolitionists proclaimed that personal freedom derived not from the ownership of productive property like land but from ownership of one’s self and the ability to enjoy the fruits of one’s labor. While the movement was to abolish slavery. Even though the abolitionists were mostly from the north, there were some northerners that the slaves should be freed, many believed that even though they were free that they did not have the right
to read or write, own land and especially the right to vote. Many had supported this stance, while others believed that freedom was truly universal entitlement. Once the slaves were freed many believed that they should have the same rights as the whites, which not only angered the people of the south but caused them to believe that the only way to keep the country was to keep slavery.
The people of the south believed that slavery was a way of life and that the slaves would have a better life as being slaves. Many slave owners believed that by them teaching their slaves the way of the bible they were making their lives better. Also many slave owners had the father figure syndrome, meaning that if they gave them a roof over their head, food in their stomachs and by giving them their last name they were providing a better way of life. The southern population also depended on the slaves to help on their farms or plantations. They were growing crops like cotton, tobacco and other cash crops that they needed help with. While slavery was very prominent in the south, the southern populace believed that by having slaves they were held in a higher rank in society. Meaning that the more slave they owned they higher their status in society, also the people that did not have slaves still held a higher place in society. Also to have the threat of the government telling them that they had to get rid of slavery is another reason why they do not want to get rid of slavery. By being forced to free the slaves they believe it as an intrusion of the federal government over the state governments. Though there were many issues for both the north and south, in the end it was the opposite opinions of slavery and the ability of not being able to comprise that caused the Civil war. For being in this history class, I have learned that in one way or the other history will always repeat itself. If we can learn from the past maybe it won’t be so hard to move forward. I have also learned that you have to adapt to different situations in order to survive.