The American Civil War was fought from 1861
to 1865 to determine the survival of the Union of independence for the
Confederacy. The Northern and Southern states went to war due to a build-up of
numerous events. The Northern states were knows to be industrial,
while the Southern states were known for their agricultural profits. Due
to the heavy amount of manual labour that was required to maintain the southern
crops, slavery developed into a horrendous issue. Manual labour was
needed to work in the fields as slaves grew and harvested crops such as tobacco
and cotton. Slaves were not given a choice or any rights regarding
their work. They were essentially viewed as animals and were often
expected to survive in unacceptable living conditions and were often beaten by
their owners.
One of
the major turning points in American history was the case of Dred Scott v
Sandford. This trial occurred prior to the Civil War and to many was
the decisive case when the citizens of American collectively decided that they
needed to work together to drive change. Slaves of all ages,
children to pregnant women, were abused and beaten by their owners. As
the public became aware of the situation, numerous individuals decided to speak
out to initiate a change of mentality. Fred Douglas was a powerful
figure in the fight against slavery, and made a significant impact with his
autobiography, “Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglas” in which he shares
his journey to gaining freedom from slavery. He discussed ‘free-blacks’
who were slaves that had been bought out my relatives, released out of
consciousness, or escaped to their freedom. These ‘free-blacks’ were
given the opportunity to work manual labour jobs and some even became doctors
and lawyers. Over time, tension continually built as more and more slaves
wanted to gain their sense of independence and freedom. The drive
for freedom lead slaves to formulate the Nat Turner Revolt in Southampton
County, Virginia and the 1811 Louisiana Slave Rebellion. Following
these events, and the trial of Dred Scott a 34 hour battle took place at Fort
Sumpter, and shortly after war was declared between the Northern and Southern
states.
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