do you think if the american civil war never took place slavery in america would still exist?

Question

or do you think we would have eventually came 2 our senses, or that it would take a civil war to end it, even if it didnt happen when it did

Answer 1

I think that slavery would have died out eventually, and that the Civil War only hastened its demise.

Let me elaborate. Before the Civil War, only the southern States included in their local legislation the right to own slaves. This was the case of Missisippi, Alabama, Virginia, and some others I don't recall at the moment. But, and this is the important thing, not every Southern state was a slavist. The recently incorporated territories (from Texas to New Mexico, Nevada and California) were not States yet, and thus were governed by a separate legislation that did not include slavery. And the Northern States did not include slavery, though some of them included legislation that accounted for the right of Southern owners to "recover their property" if an escapee was captured in those states.

Slavery was not in the center of the Civil War until very late in the conflict. But, as the war evolved and became more and more complex, President Lincoln was literally forced to sign the abolition act as a way to undermine Southern economy and get more men to reinforce the Union army (Confederates did not use afroamericans in their ranks).

More so, even before the Civil War, there were many heated debates in Congress between abolitionists and slavists, who pretended to extend slavery to the new territories. The debate centered wether slavery was among the rights considered and guaranteed in the Constitution or not. Slavists argued that the Constitution's protection of private property guaranteed them the right to own slaves, while abolitionists argued that, had the Founding Fathers wanted to establish slavery as one of the foundations of American society, they would have stated it.

Answer 2

judging by the amount of racial hatred still lurking about in our country, I would have to say that there would not be a United States of America that consisted of fifty states. There would be two separate countries, and who knows what condition the world would be in now, because of the two world wars, the Korean War, Vietnam, and the problems in the Middle East and Africa. If we were not what we are and not able to help others, who would still be alive?
What the others are forgetting is that the South had become its own country, the only reason they rejoined is that it was part of the surrender agreement. So regardless of if it had died out or not, this country that we now live in would not exist at all. To go to Florida for vacation you would need a passport to cross the Mason-Dixon line. And if the South with its views had sided with the Germans during the world wars, then that might not even be possible. We might have been under Nazi rule throughout the world by now. Scary.

Answer 3

I think you may have missed the point, America had already then over four million black people, how would you propose to send such an large amount back? not likely. Besides, all of them by then had been born in America, and even though they were not allowed to class themselves as such had as much right to be an American as anybody else. After all, you cannot turn the time piece back for some 250 years can you? the very first black people to arrive in Virginia was on a Dutch ship who sold approximately 30 blacks to the colonists on shore in 1619. Believe it or not, the very first ones were treated reasonably well because they were more or less classed as 'free slaves' if you like. They were allowed to work and even have a parcel of land and home, the home would have been very small but a home just the same. Obviously, this changed dramatically when the colonists saw better opportunity to 'kick-off' the slave trade and the blacks were treated very harshly from that time on, in fact, as one white visitor to the South's plantations once remarked after he witnessed so many black people working such long hours in the fields, 'May God help you if you are a *****, having to work for this crowd'!

Answer 4

I don't think so. Slavery in the western world was already in a general decline throughout the 19th century, where as the "larger" political and social divisiveness that drove the Civil War had been festering under the surface for about a hundred and fifty years (or somewhat longer) before Fort Sumter was attacked. Dr. Lumian covers this to an extent.

Answer 5

the civil war was not even about slavery that was just a by product the civil war was about
1.state rights vs. federal powers
2. it was about 1 country having 2 different civilizations and two different economic systems that were paranoid about each other
3. Lincoln threw in freedom of slaves to keep france and Britain out of the war

but to answer you question, as the middle class in the south grew and the south started to have more industry, yes slavery would have died out

Answer 6

No, slavery of African-Americans absolutely would have died out.

Black slaves were viewed by slave owners as simple property. The slave labor provided by Blacks was used to support the agriculture based economy of the South. Slaves were cheap to buy and cheap to maintain. Slaves were more poorly treated than horses, oxen, cows and other sources of manual labor power on the farm and plantations.

Think back to those years. Slaves provided the labor to run farms. The cost to feed a slave was minimal.

As industrial development (engine power) and mechanical inventions evolved (machines to do work) slaves would have eventually been replaced by the same high productivity machines that replaced other forms of labor power. Engine powered equipment was far more productive and PROFITABLE to employ for a farm owner than the ever increasing cost to feed, house, and maintain a slave, or a horse, etc. Slavery would have died out the same way owning a horse for basic transportation died out.

In short, Slaves would have eventually become too high a labor cost for the average farmer. 1 Tractor could produce the same amount of agriculture goods that 500 slaves could produce. The Tractor never tried to runaway or steal property either.

Black slavery was a horrible horrible thing.

But do not be fooled. Other forms of modern day slavery exist.

Answer 7

that the same reason we went to civil war was because of slavery because the north wanted to abolish slavery while the south didn't but i think it will have still happen if the civil war didn't happen but if people being to get it through their heads that slavery is wrong it still wouldn't matter because it would have still happen but then people of the new generation will probably try to get rid of it and it will have ended.

Answer 8

i think they would've banned slavery but after a couple of years if there was no civil war...

Answer 9

I think it would have eventually died out, on its own. One by one, each of the southern states would have outlawed it.

Answer 10

Most blacks haven't worked since then, Oh yea the white man is keeping them down.