American History

How the institution of slavery affected the development of the American South and the lives of people living in that region

The period between 1800 and 1865 is a significant period in the history of America. This is because it is the time when the war between various states took place. The war came to be referred to as the war of the states or the American Civil War. It was a war that saw hundreds of thousands of Americans lose their lives while millions of others were left without a place they could call home. During this period, the institution of slavery which at the time was getting support from the people of the south affected the development of people living in that region. This discussion looks at some of the economic, cultural, political and social implications of the institution of slavery during this period (Kenneth. 2000).

In the period between years 1800 and 1865, America was divided into two major factions. Among the issues of contention that led to the division was the institution of slavery. The southern region was in full support of the practice while the northern region led by Abraham Lincoln opposed vehemently to this practice. According to Abraham and his group, slavery was an inhuman practice which was archaic. The southern region on the other hand argued that abolishing slavery would rip them off their only source of income. It was therefore a tussle between these two regions (Kenneth. 2000).

Besides slavery being an economic pillar in the southern region, it was also used to gain racial control so that the whites could remain in power while mistreating the blacks. The main role that was played by slaves however, was the economic role as the slaves provided labour to work in the cotton plantations. The southern region was heavily dependent on agriculture as their source of income and thus abolition of slavery was seen as a big blow to their economy (Joseph. 1999).

Socially, it is rather obvious that the institution of slavery brought about instability in the society. It was the institution of slavery that led to the division that was experienced in America which later culminated into the bloody Civil War. There were a lot of indifferences between people of the same country, all because they did not agree on the contentious issue of slavery (Parvin. 1995).

The institution of slavery also brought with it political turmoil. It is argued that America as a country had never before experienced such high levels of political instability as it was during that period. There was heightened political hostility and the outbreak of the Civil War did not come as a surprise to many. It was a time bomb that was bound to explode if the political pressure that was being experienced at the time was anything to go by (Joseph. 1999).

Although the institution of slavery was hailed as the backbone of the economy for the people in the southern region, it also had some negative effects on the economy of the region. The southern region did not develop in terms of buildings and cities. There were no industries in which some of the slaves could work in and thus there was stunted growth economically which adversely affected this region.
The institution of slavery in the southern region of America between 1800 and 1865 had major impacts on the lives of Americans. Equally, the institution was affected in a number of ways. To begin with, it is common knowledge that the institution of slavery and the controversy surrounding it was one of the major causes of the bloody American Civil War. Even though there were other underlying issues that led to the outbreak of this war, the issue of slavery was significant in the outbreak of the war. As already mentioned, the institution of slavery also affected Americans in a number of ways mainly culturally, politically, socially and most of all economically (Frank  Kenneth 2004).

However, when Abraham Lincoln who led an anti-slavery movement was elected to power as President of America, he passed a law that made slavery illegal in the country. It was as a result of this ruling by Abraham Lincoln that 12 states broke away from the main confederation and this came to be known as the secession. Although slavery may have had negative impacts, it was also a major lesson for the Americans to learn. As much as the people in the southern region did not agree, it had become apparent that abolition of slavery was important to create a level ground for every person without having the attitude of master and servant (Edward. 2009).

Nevertheless, despite the various challenges that were encountered in abolishing slavery in America, the practice slowly died down and this paved way for growth both economically, socially, culturally and politically. Democracy was given a chance and America now stands out as one of the most democratic states the world over. Indeed, slavery had major impacts on the people of the southern region in terms of politics, culture, socially and economically.