Negro Rights Precede Federal Powers

During the U.S. Civil War, African Americans that were slaves became people of the United States and gained the rights they deserved. Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862 which ended slavery. This signing also led to the 13th Amendment being created. This goes along with the idea of the civil war that took place in America that was fought over slavery. Lincoln abolished slavery hoping to reunite the Union. During Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation speech, he says, “All persons held as slaves within any State or designed part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be them, thenceforward, and forever free” (Document 10, unit 4). Abraham Lincoln had now freed slaves in

During the Civil War, African Americans never wanted restrictive “white” laws to be submitted instead they wanted laws that would help them. During this time, there have been race-related violence over the war. After African Americans were able to be drafted to fight in the war, the whites went on a racist riot to kill any black person they run into(Doc. F). They did this because they believe that the blacks are stealing military jobs from the white workers. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln responded to a letter from a white person who is against equality for African Americans. Abraham Lincoln questioned that person why they would not support freedom for African Americans when they were willing to fight for the whites in the Civil War(Doc. C). Lincoln

Regardless of the President’s original words, the Civil war was fought over slavery, not state’s rights. This is evident from the Emancipation Proclamation, in which Lincoln frees all slaves in rebellious states, the President’s House Divided speech, and the Dred Scott decision.

In 1861-1865, The Civil War started because of uncompromising differences between the free (northerners) and slave states (south) over the power of the government to end slavery in the places that had not yet become states. This is when in 1865, the United States defeated the North and abolished slavery nationwide. As the war was about to end, the southern states were re-admitted to the United States. The northern states added the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery, the 14th Amendment give them rights to to be citizens, and the 15th Amendment gave the right to vote.

In the time between the election of 1860 and the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln in March of 1861, a total of seven states had withdrawn from the Union for several reasons. The South first argued that the North threatened liberty, and they protested that an assertion of federal power would overturn slavery and destroy the one institution that guaranteed equality for white Americans. Along with this, the South feared that the Republican Party’s victory would set into motion the complete eradication of slavery. Their next argument was that Lincoln and Republican Congressmen ignored the Dred Scott case, showing an usurpation of power that was unconstitutional and even justified leaving the Union; the South viewed their slaves as property and believed no one could take this right. The South believed their right to secede

This decision was not only just, but necessary for the Union to continue in the way the Founders had intended. Lincoln’s main reason for allowing the Civil War to occur was his belief that the South had overstepped the bounds of law in order to maintain slavery. In the campaign for the Illinois Senate seat, Lincoln managed to maneuver Stephen A. Douglas, his key opponent, into an extremely vital and incriminating statement of the South’s intentions. “It matters not what the Supreme Court may…decide as to the abstract question of whether slavery may or may not go into a Territory…. The people have the lawful means to introduce it or exclude it as they please.”[7] This set off a red flag in politicians’ minds: did the South really believe it could override the laws of the United States? Evidently they did believe so, as in 1861 the South seceded from the nation, formed a confederation, elected leaders, and coined money; all of which were completely unconstitutional acts. Lincoln’s reverence for the law as the basis of the nation’s principles demanded that war be enacted to combat the South, who had blatantly defied those principles. In order for the Union to continue, its constituents had to follow its statutes or it would crumble.

African Americans during the Civil War to the end of Reconstruction experienced two fundamental developments that attributed to a continuity and change within the country and those were the constitutional and social developments. There was only one major constitutional continuity, but many great constitutional changes. On the other hand, social continuity was scarce in the African American society while there was only one important social change. After the Civil War, life for the African American changed drastically constitutionally, but socially however, life was no different and even in some ways harder socially. The main constitutional continuity was the Civil Rights Bill which helped fuel in a great extent the continued hate from Southerners

During the time of 1861, something very important was happening in the new world. Something so important that it would change lives for the people of the new world. Most importantly, it would change the lives of African Americans. In 1861, most blacks that lived in the new world were slaves. They were not indentured slaves; they were slaves against their own will. “The Civil War between North and South was fought by the North to prevent the secession of the Southern states and preserve the Union” (Proclamation 1863). A war broke out between the north and the south. Abraham Lincoln was the President of the United States at this time. Moreover, “Lincoln’s bold step to change the goals of the war was a military measure and came just a few days

One of the last call that the opponents made before the civil war was the principle of popular sovereignty in which the people state that government exist to serve them and help them to move as a nation, over the U.S. history this sovereignty led to riots and fight between people from the same states which wanted to abolish slavery against the ones that wanted to keep

One main argument that came from Stephens ' speech was the affirmation that African American slavery, or the peculiar institution, was the direct cause of the Confederacy’s secession. He states, “The new constitution has put at rest, forever, all the agitating questions relating to our peculiar institution African slavery as it exists amongst us the proper status of the Negro in our form of civilization. This was the immediate cause of the late rupture and present revolution (Stephens)”. Slavery defined the South and it caused many problems between the slave states and the free states. Because of slavery, the new government for the South change immensely. Stephens said that the new government was based on the reality of natural inequality.

The union vs. states rights New territories were being settled. The South wanted new territories to be admitted to the Union as Slave states. This was mainly to prevent the slaves from escaping to the free territories. However, the North believed that those new territories remain free. States Rights was the idea that these territories have the right to vote whether to be free or slave. Lincoln was elected president November 6,1860, whom had declared” Government cannot endure permanently half free and half slave. South Carolina immediately removed from the Union along with six other states to dorm the Confederate States of America(CSA). The South feared that Lincoln would free the slaves and take away their economy and way of life.A moral issue In the nineteenth century slavery was not a moral issue, but more of an economic issue first and a moral issue second. This was mainly because the South’s economic system was based solely on cotton which was produced by the slaves. If the slaves were taken away that would immediately bring the collapse of its socio- economic system. The whole concept of America becoming a country was based on all men being created equally, yet they allowed slavery because it was a major part of the economy.In conclusion Slaves were eventually free at the end of the Civil War with the ratifying of the Thirteenth amendment of the constitution. This was first passed December 6, 1865 later being ratified to

One of the most prevalent justifications and causes for southern secession was the protection of state and citizen rights. More specifically, the protection of the rights given to them, and protected by, the fifth amendment of the Constitution. This amendment protected the rights to property that American citizens possessed, which in the south translated into the protection of their slaves, whom they considered their property. The majority of southern opinion was that the northern states, or the union, were attempting to “strike down the rights of [the] Southern slave-holder and override every barrier which their constitution has erected for his protection” (Document 2, p. 93). By this, the southern opinion was arguing that the northern majority in the federal government was intentionally limiting southern citizens’ constitutional rights, which in the 1860’s was a serious accusation. The most common instance used to support this was the, in the southern opinion, disregard for the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. Many secessionists pointed out that this law was meant to protect property rights, but that multiple northern states were attempting to nullify it (Document 2, p. 94), thereby attacking southern rights in addition to the federal laws in place.

In Birmingham, Alabama between 1957 and 1962 seventeen black churches and homes had been bombed, racial tension continued to grow, and more and more African Americans were being killed. Although the population of Birmingham was 40% African American, there seemed little hope for a political solution to the racial divide; of 80,000 registered voters, only 10,000 were black due to a barrier that was placed on the new state constitution of Alabama. One of these barriers was an annual poll tax that had to pay for two years before the new election season. African Americans in Mississippi could barely afford the necessities in order to live such as food, clothes, and a roof over their head. African Americans were the poorest part of Mississippi’s population. The other barrier that was placed in the new state constitution was a literacy test. It required a person seeking to register to vote to read a section of the state constitution and explain it to the county clerk, a white man, who processed voter registrations. This new law was setup for African Americans to fail. Along with many other civil rights leaders and members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Dr. Martin Luther King traveled to Birmingham, Alabama to lead and participate in several boycotts, marches, and picketing leading up to Dr. Martin Luther King’s arrest. While being incarcerated, Dr. King wrote an open letter more known as The “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. In this letter, King highlights many

Stephens begins his argument by stating that the splitting of the Union has been a bloodless one (Stephens 1). The author views this fact as an accomplishment, and he believes the bloodless state will endure due to the current evidence he sees (Stephens 1). Stephens, however, does recognize that this split led to the South altering the Constitution. The Constitution of the North was based on the assumption that all races are created equal, and the South could not abide with this foundation (Stephens 1). Even though the South’s Constitution has changed, Stephens believes that all of the essential content has been preserved, like the protection of live liberty and property (Stephens 1). The author’s explanation and presentation of these changes are very factual and unbiased because he simply presents the facts and attempts to stay away from theorizing. For instance, he does not theorize that this split will lead to war because the split, so far, has not indicated or suggested that

Throughout history people have debated the main cause of the American Civil War. One of the most popular beliefs is slavery caused the civil war. To begin with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was created, it required all citizens to help catch and return escaped slaves in the free states. This increased the amount of tension between the North and South due to many citizens of the North did not believe in slavery and therefore did not want to aid the South by catching the escaped slaves. A supporter of this compromise was Daniel Webster. He believed that the act could keep the North and South from splitting. As he stated in a speech on the 7th of March, “There can be no such thing as a peaceable secession. Peaceable secession is an utter impossibility”