What Caused The Conflict Between The North And South Dbq

In the early 19th century, the United States was relatively calm towards slavery as compared to the mid-1800’s. During this stage, agreements, such as the Missouri Compromise, satisfied both the northern and southern US and kept them at peace, but only for a brief period of time. As the years passed by, the belief in abolitionism grew, mainly in the North, as figures like William Lloyd Garrison increased the popularity of the movement. The South only felt anger towards the rise of the abolition movement and hence, conflict between the two sides developed over the next few decades, which eventually climaxed with the Civil War. Although the North and the South were able to compromise in the early 1800’s, the tension and violence caused by the

In Document 1, the American Anti-Slavery Society states how religion denounces the practice of slavery and pushes Congress to take action. The audience of this document was the American people, since it displays the negatives of slavery in a widespread manner and provides a sense of what their group’s ideals were, but it was mostly directed at the Southern white slaveowners and the Congress because the AASS wanted to announce to the slave owners that slavery was wrong under God’s terms and that they are it labeled them as a “MAN STEALER” (Doc 1). The AASS also reminded Congress that they had the right “to suppress the domestic slave trade” and “to abolish slavery in [the Congress’] territories” (Doc 1). The document elevated the tension of the two sides, since it advocated for abolition which angered the South and provided a reason why the South was shifting away from a peaceful negotiation. In addition, Document 4 is a quoted version of a Southern newspaper that discusses the South’s (a.k.a. the pro-slavery) criticism of the northern abolitionists, branding them as “greasy mechanics, filthy operatives, small-fisted farmers, and moon-stuck

Document 2, for example, expresses the Congress’ perspective on the issue of slavery in the 1830s. They declare that all documents regarding slavery or the abolition of slavery will be “laid on the table and that no further action whatever shall be had thereon” (Doc 2). The point of view of the Congress was neutral during the early antebellum period in order to stay away from the conflict and focus on other matters. Even though Congress’ so called “gag rule” was meant to avoid the conflict, the rule was largely ignored by the two sides, as they tried to push the Congress to pass laws that would support each side, such as Document 1. Additionally, Document 3 presents senator Daniel Webster’s speech to the Congress in 1850 with the purpose of warning both the northern and southern senators that the conflict is heading in the wrong direction and that secession is in no way the most peaceful solution out there. He tries to appeal to the South’s perspective by agreeing with their argument that the North’s reluctance towards following the Fugitive Slave Act, however, he contrasts that appeal by disagreeing with their motive of secession. The fact that the speech already discusses secession 10 years before the first state secedes from the Union demonstrates that the South already doesn’t feel comfortable with the North and they