Question about the Civil War. I need some help..?

Question

Any Civil War buffs out there? .. Did the North condone or oppose slavery before the war? I know the southerner's had slaves on plantations, but i can't find any information regarding the Northern view. Can anyone help shed some light on this for me?

Thanks so much in advance!

Answer 1

Some Northerners, called 'Abolitionists' , opposed slavery anywhere. Most were willing to tolerate slavery in the Southern states as long as it didn't spread.

The real question that bothered most Northerners was the spread of slavery, because they were concerned that if slavery spread into the free states, their jobs would be lost to slaves. After the repeal of the Missourri Compromise, and the Dred Scott decision, in which the Supreme Court ruled that Congress could not ban slavery in territories that were expected to become future states (there were only about 31 states at the time the Civil War began), the fear that Northern states would become slave states was strong, and probably reasonable.

"Put this and that together, and we have another nice little niche, which we may, ere long, see filled with another Supreme Court decision, declaring that the Constitution of the United States does not permit a State to exclude slavery from its limits. . . . We shall lie down pleasantly dreaming that the people of Missouri are on the verge of making their State free, and we shall awake to the reality instead, that the Supreme Court has made Illinois a slave State."
Abraham Lincoln, 1858

Lincoln's prewar statements are a good statement of the Northern view of the question. See the site linked below.

Answer 2

There were a few slave owners in the North, but most were in the South. The north was an industrial society, but the south was mainly plantations that required mass amounts of labor (The main crops were tobacco, cotton, sugar). In the North, opinions ranged from the abolishionists who completely rejected the institution of slavery, to those who had no opinion on it at all. Even Lincoln was not an abolitionist. He at first just wanted to stop the spread of slavery to new territories, but not abolish it all together. Later, when the Union had the upper hand in the civil war, Lincoln took full advantage of it and ended the institution of slavery.

One thing you won't find in a standard school text book, is that while many northerners did not like slavery, they did not believe that blacks were equals, either. They were seen almost like children, that needed to be cared for, and kept at a half-step below the rest. That is why after the emancipation, and even the Amendments giving the right to vote to all men of any race, there were still those that tried to stop them with Jerry Mandering and Jim Crowe laws.

Answer 3

Contrary to popular myth, the Civil War was not about slavery, it was about states' rights. The war started in 1861, but the Emancipation Proclomation was issued in late 1862, almost a year and a half into the war.

Before the war, a few Northern states had already outlawed slavery, but most had not. Many that fought in the Union armies (even famous generals like Sherman) were against ending slavery.

Answer 4

Northerners were split on the subject. The newly-formed Republican party and others opposed slavery. The Democratic Party, the Know-Nothings, and the newly-formed party called the Copperheads (Northerners who wanted to end the war at any cost to the Union) found no problem in slavery.

For an excellent explanation of the pre-Civil War politics, read the first book of the Bruce Catton Civil War trilogy.

Answer 5

Many of the Northern states were founded with the distinction that they would not entertain slavery, but this did not mean that everyone there was immediate against slavery. The attitude of many Northern states were ambivalent toward the institution.

Many people respected slavery as a legitimate economic institution and thought of it as just that. Though many abolitionists were from the north, the north was certainly not welcoming of blacks. They helped turn slaves back in and it was no virtuous moral paradise as many may think.

Answer 6

There were abolitionists in New England who vehemently opposed slavery. Harriet Beecher Stowe was one such person, who wrote her novel "Uncle Toms Cabin" in the office of her husband, who was on the faculty of Bowdoin College.
Other than that, the remainder of the men who volunteered did so more to save the Union than for any other reason. The general feeling was that once the slaves were free, they should be sent back to Africa to resume their former lives.
Abraham Lincoln said in his first address after being sworn in that if he could save the union with slavery, he would do so, because the war was not about slavery, but about preserving the Union.
US Grant was heard to say that if the war was about slavery, he would give his sword to the other side.
And, in the Confederate forces, the majority of the men who wore gray had never even seen a black person, let alone owned one. A young Rebel captured at Shiloh said it best.
When asked why he was in the Rebel Army, he replied," Because you are down here, and this is my home. I fight for whats mine, thats all....."
I hope this information helps.

Answer 7

If I am not mistaken in 1619 the first slaves were brought over to Jamestown. The southern states did not adapt to slavery until later. Then the north decided it was wrong and opposed it while the south embraced it.
Try going to http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution/

It starts from the very beginning and moves almost 200 years forward.

Good luck !

Answer 8

There were slave owners in the North. All of the northern states were considered slave free states, before the war. Most people were against going to war. Abraham Lincoln was one of the minority of northerners who were willing to fight to free slaves.

Answer 9

MOST northern states opposed slavery.. MANY had laws to support their opposition.. slavery was mainly a scapegoat issue though to enter into a war with the south... segregation was still widely practiced in the north at the time. the south controlled about 98% of the cotton (one of the main exports). obviously, the north saw a problem with this once the south separated from the union. the south used the cotton export to their advantage as they tried to entice several european powers to join their side... of course, no takers, though the french came close as well as the UK. and not to mention, no one in the north liked the idea of american states separating from the union.. wasn't legal in their eyes.

Answer 10

The North were hypocrites. They were fighting against slavery and they had more slaves than the South did. This is a true fact.