A Union Divided

A Union Divided

The Constitution was written to make a union, but the Constitution would eventually divide the union. In the 1850s the North was calling for abolition slavery, but the south believed the constitution protected slavery. This issue of slavery caused for great tension and division in America till the point of war. The south believed that slavery was protected under the constitution, yet the north believed that slavery was evil and that it needed to be abolished.

With pressure from the north to end slavery the south used that the constitution allowed for slavery. The south used the 3/5 compromise, and the 5th amendment to say that slavery was allowed and protected. (G) There were a collection of compromises called compromise of 1850 to try to ease the tension between the states. (A) 2 of the things that came out the compromise of 1850 are that US territories will use popular sovereignty to decide to be free or slave state, fugitive slave act. But the south is upset that they in a free state partially occupied by southern men that they are not allowed to bring their property (slaves) in that territory, and the north will not enforce the fugitive slave act. (B) This issue was the tinder for the explosive Supreme Court case Dread Scott. This decision stated striped free blacks and slaves of any constitutional rights; it destroyed the system of popular sovereignty, and said no territory could keep out slavery. The decision caused so much more tension the south amendment 10; reserved powers of the states to secede from the Union. (H, I). This Supreme Court decision destroyed compromises which what America based on. "It was our inability to compromise caused civil war."

In 1852 with the publication of Uncle Tom Cabin, the world saw the true evil of slavery on large plantations. The North an in an uproar and wanted to abolish slavery nationally. One extreme abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison hated slavery so much and believed that the north should secede from the south. His motto was "No Union with slaveholders" (E). The fugitive slave act which was suppose to be a compromise to ease tension just seem to fuel more Northern and Southern sectionalism and tension. The law gave excused run away slaves a extremely unfair trial. They were not allowed to testify during the trial, and judges receive more money when it ruled guilty. The north refused to enforce such an unjust law.

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