September 1, 2024 • 35 mins
How did the United States reconcile the ideals of freedom and equality with the brutal institution of slavery? In this episode, we confront this paradox head-on, exploring the foundational contradictions that led to the Civil War. You'll gain insight into how the founding fathers, such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, navigated these moral contradictions, setting the stage for a conflict that would forever alter the American landscape. We promise you'll come away with a deeper understanding of how slavery was not just a Southern issue but a national one that implicated all levels of American society.
We also dissect the profound and lasting impact of slavery, particularly in the Southern colonies, where it shaped rigid social hierarchies and cultural divides. Figures like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Beecher Stowe brought the horrors of slavery into the public eye, intensifying the national debate and pushing the country to the brink of war. From the early legislative compromises to the Dred Scott decision, we unravel the pivotal moments that exacerbated sectional tensions. Join us as we explore this complex legacy, revealing how the echoes of slavery continue to influence America's ongoing struggle with racial injustice and national identity.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Welcome to Double Helix Blueprint of Nations,
season 2, episode 2.1, originalSin.
Welcome once again to Season 2of Double Helix Blueprint of
(00:28):
Nations.
I'm Paul, and if you're hereit's because you share my
fascination with the DNA ofnations.
This season, we're diving intocivil conflicts and wars that
have not only altered the courseof their own nation's histories
, but have also sent ripplesacross the globe.
We began our journey with theColombian conflict, unraveling
(00:49):
the complexities and enduringimpacts of that struggle.
Now we shift our focus to oneof the most consequential and
pivotal events in Americanhistory, an event so monumental
that it forever changed thedirection of the country and its
relationship with itself.
I am, of course, talking aboutthe war between the states, more
(01:12):
commonly known as the UnitedStates Civil War.
The Civil War changed the faceof the United States forever and
continues, almost 150 yearslater, to provoke fervent debate
.
Now, if you know anything abouthistory, you know that 150
years isn't that long.
(01:33):
This means the Civil War andits impacts are still very much
alive in the American psyche.
Think about it.
This was a conflict that pittedbrother against brother,
neighbor against neighbor.
It wasn't just a war fought onbattlefields.
It was a war that cut deep intothe social and cultural fabric
(01:53):
of the nation.
The echoes of this conflict arestill felt today in debates
over race relations, states'rights and national identity.
Race relations, states' rightsand national identity.
We will explore the roots of theconflict, from the founding of
the nation and the original sinof slavery, through the economic
and social divides that widenedover the decades, to the
(02:16):
explosive events that finallyignited the war.
We'll also look at key figures,the major battles and the
strategies employed by bothsides.
We'll also dig into thepersonal stories, the lives
disrupted, the communities tornapart and the enduring legacy of
a nation striving to reconcileits ideals with its realities.
(02:38):
In this episode, original Sin,we'll start at the very
beginning.
Original Sin will start at thevery beginning.
How did the ideals of freedomand equality coexist with the
brutal institution of slavery?
How did the founding fathers,who championed liberty, justify
the ownership of human beings?
And how did the compromisesmade at the birth of the nation
(03:01):
sow the seeds for futureconflict?
We'll explore these questionsand more, setting the stage for
our journey through the CivilWar.
This story, like all stories,has a beginning.
Just as we saw in Colombia,there are poison pills embedded
into the very fabric of America.
These pills were so toxic, socontradictory to the nation's
(03:25):
ideals and rhetoric, that theybecame, and continue to be, the
original sin of the UnitedStates.
That sin, of course, is slavery.
Now it's important to addnuance and complexity to this
(03:48):
topic, to explain the pervasivegrip slavery had over America,
both as an institution and adeeply entrenched system.
It is also crucial toacknowledge that America was not
alone in its thirst for Africanslave labor.
The French, the Spanish and thePortuguese enslaved and
imported the majority of thepeople in bondage to the
Americas.
And, yes, some people ofEuropean descent endure forms of
labor that were essentiallyslavery in all but name.
(04:11):
But all of that context must becouched within the unequivocal
truth borne out by thehistorical record and the facts.
The primary reason why thestates of the new American
Republic went to war againsteach other was slavery, full
stop.
Slavery was a central issuethat divided the nation and
(04:33):
ultimately led to civil war.
The debates over states' rights, economic differences and
cultural clashes were all deeplyintertwined with the question
of slavery.
Ashes were all deeplyintertwined with the question of
slavery.
And yet I know some of youlistening will still want to
argue it, deny it and say thatthere were other reasons, and I
get it.
The visceral reaction elicitedby the notion that over 600,000
(04:57):
people died in a fight overwhether one set of humans could
preserve the right to keepothers in bondage is jarring at
best and terrifying and shamefulat worst.
But those are the facts.
One way this becomesself-evident is by reading the
declarations of secession fromthe various states.
These documents clearly citethe preservation of slavery as a
(05:20):
core institution of southernsociety and economy as the
primary reason for breaking thebonds of the Union.
The language is unambiguous.
For example, mississippi'sDeclaration states Our position
is thoroughly identified withthe institution of slavery, the
greatest material interest ofthe world.
(05:40):
South Carolina's Declarationsimilarly emphasizes slavery
centrality to their secession.
Another compelling piece ofevidence is the pattern of
secession itself.
It didn't follow any particulareconomic or geographic logic.
Instead, it was determined bythe percentage of the slave
(06:02):
population in those states.
The higher the number of slaves, the more eager the state was
to secede.
This correlation highlights themore entrenched a state was in
the institution of slavery, themore fervently it sought to
leave the Union to protect thatinstitution.
This is the reality we mustconfront as we explore the roots
(06:22):
of the Civil War.
It is a difficult, oftenuncomfortable truth, but
understanding it is essential tograsping the full scope of
American history and theenduring impact of this conflict
on the nation.
The story of American slaverybegins in the early 17th century
.
In total, 550,000 humans werebrought to North America between
(06:44):
1619 and 1808, the year theConstitution, on Article I,
section 9, marked as the year inwhich Congress could legally
legislate the slave trade.
Afterwards, as many as 50,000more people were brought in
illegally.
Illegally, the year 1619 isimportant because it marks the
(07:09):
date when a ship carrying 20African slaves docked at Point
Comfort in the Virginia colony.
This moment, though seeminglyminor at the time, set in motion
a chain of events that wouldshape the nation's history.
Initially, african slaves in thecolonies were treated similarly
to indenture servants.
They worked for a set period,often seven years, before
gaining their freedom.
The system, borrowed from theEnglish practice of indenture
(07:33):
servitude, allowed landowners toacquire labor cheaply.
But here's a twist Over time,the status of African workers
began to change.
The line between indentureservant and lifelong slave
blurred and then vanishedentirely.
The importation of people intoNorth America constituted around
(07:53):
8% of the total slavepopulation sold out of
sub-Saharan Africa to theAmericas and South Asia, a
distinctive characteristic ofthe conditions in North America,
which differ significantly fromother parts of the Americas,
where the hard labor, abuse andpoor nutrition had made for
short lives for the slaves.
(08:14):
And in the United States theslave population actually rose
to nearly 4 million by the eveof the war in 1861.
This is when slavery apologistswill surface and say it was
because of the fantastictreatment given to slaves in
America.
The reality is that it waslikely the result of concerted
breeding programs byslaveholders and the natural
(08:37):
desire of slaves to formfamilies in order to better
endure the ordeal.
Anyway, back to the chronology.
By the late 1600s, virginia andother colonies started to codify
racial slavery into law.
Laws passed in Virginia in the1660s made the status of African
(08:58):
workers permanent andhereditary.
If you were born to a slavemother, you were a slave for
life.
These laws weren't just aboutlabor, they were about control
and power.
The transformation wasdeliberate, designed to create a
clear, racially definedunderclass.
One of the most strikingexamples of this legal shift
(09:20):
comes from a 1662 Virginia lawstating that children born to
enslaved mothers would inherittheir mother's status.
This law ensured that theinstitution of slavery would
perpetuate itself acrossgenerations.
It was a system built ondehumanization, where African
slaves were seen not as peoplebut as property chattel to be
(09:44):
bought, sold and exploited.
Chattel to be bought, sold andexploited.
Thus this type of slaverydiffers significantly from
historical slavery as practicedsince the onset of civilization.
Since people have been people,there have been slaves, though
often slavery was primarilybased on subjugation.
In other words, you wereconquered, therefore you became
(10:06):
a slave.
Treatment and conditions werenot less brutal.
But the concept of racializedchattel slavery is a fairly
modern invention, fullyexpressed in the New World
Historian Ira Berlin, in hisseminal work Many Thousands Gone
, notes that these early legalcodifications were pivotal.
(10:26):
They marked the transition froma society with slaves to a
fully developed slave society.
This transformation didn'thappen overnight.
It was a gradual and aninsidious process as economic
incentives and racial prejudiceintertwined to create a deeply
entrenched system of racialslavery.
By the end of the 17th centurythe institution of slavery was
(10:50):
firmly established in theAmerican colonies.
The labor of enslaved Africanshad become essential to the
colonial economy, particularlyin the South where large
plantations began to dominatethe landscape.
Tobacco, rice, indigo, sugarand eventually cotton
plantations flourished, allbuilt on the back of enslaved
(11:13):
labor.
By 1860, the entire apparatusof southern economic wealth
somewhere near the $2 billionmark was supported on the back
of slavery, literally andfiguratively.
On the back of slavery.
Literally and figuratively, thelegal foundations laid during
this period would have profoundand lasting effects.
They created a society whereracialized inequality was
(11:39):
institutionalized and the seedsof future conflict were sown.
As we progress deeper into thisstory, we'll see how these
early decisions and laws set thestage for the immense struggles
and conflicts to come.
As the American colonies grew,so did their reliance on slavery
.
The economy of the southerncolonies in particular, as we
said before, became inextricablylinked with the institution of
(12:02):
slavery.
Picture the sprawling tobaccoplantations of Virginia, the
rice fields of South Carolinaand later the vast cotton
plantations that stretchedacross the Deep South.
All these thriving agriculturalenterprises had one thing in
common they were built on thebacks of enslaved African
laborers.
The southern economy was anagricultural juggernaut.
(12:26):
Tobacco was the first majorcash crop, driving the demand
for more labor.
As historian Edward Baptistdescribes in his book, slavery
was not just an economic systembut a relentless machine of
productivity and profit.
The wealth generated fromtobacco was staggering, and it
was clear that more labor meantmore money.
(12:48):
Hence the demand for Africanslaves grew exponentially.
In South Carolina, rice becamethe staple crop, and its
cultivation was labor-intensiveand arduous.
Enslaved Africans, many of whomwere brought from rice-growing
regions of West Africa, providedthe expertise and the labor
needed to turn South Carolinainto a rice powerhouse.
(13:10):
The climate and geography ofthe Lowcountry were perfect for
rice, but the work wasback-breaking and dangerous.
Yet for the plantation owners,the profits were worth every
drop of sweat and blood shed bytheir slaves.
Then came cotton, the crop thatwould transform the South and
its reliance on slavery tounprecedented levels.
(13:33):
The invention of the cotton ginby Eli Whitney in 1793
revolutionized cotton production, making it easier to separate
the seeds from the cotton fibers.
This innovation turned cottoninto the South's dominant cash
crop.
Almost overnight, the demandfor cotton in textile mills
across Europe and the northernUnited States skyrocketed,
(13:57):
leading to a corresponding boomin the demand for slave labor.
Georgia is an example of thiscotton explosion.
In 1800, around 60,000 slaveslived there.
By 1860, just 60 years later,the slave population had grown
to 462,000, almost as manyslaves as in all of Cuba.
(14:20):
Slavery wasn't just a southernphenomenon, though.
In the northern coloniesslavery existed, but played a
different role.
The north's economy was morediversified and industrialized.
Slaves in the north were oftenused in domestic roles, skilled
labor and small-scale farming.
However, the north was notimmune to the economic benefits
(14:42):
of the slave trade.
Northern merchants andshipbuilders made fortunes from
the transatlantic slave trade,and northern banks financed
southern plantations.
The interconnectedness of theNorth and the South through the
economy of slavery cannot beoverstated.
Historian Sven Becker, in hisbook Empire of Cotton,
(15:03):
illustrates how the globaleconomy of the 18th and 19th
century was intricately linkedto slavery.
Cotton produced by slave laborin the South fueled
industrialization and economicgrowth, not just in the United
States but worldwide.
This created a system whereeven those who did not own
slaves directly benefited fromthe institution.
(15:26):
But let's not forget the humancost behind these economic gains
.
The slaves who toiled in thefields and workshops lived in
brutal conditions, subjected toinhumane treatment and stripped
of their dignity and humanity.
Families were torn apart,individuals were treated as mere
commodities, and the physicaland psychological.
(15:47):
So you might be saying, paul,this sucks, you're pulling a
Columbia on us again.
No good guys.
And all that.
And while you might be temptedto think that, I do think at
some point in this story therewill be a right side versus
(16:10):
wrong side.
But not yet.
And certainly so as not tooffend any hardcore real
historians, I will say that thisis my personal estimation, with
my own moral values at play.
But I digress.
As we continue our journeythrough the history of American
slavery, it is crucial toremember this duality, the
(16:31):
immense economic benefits reapedby a few and the unimaginable
suffering endured by many.
This stark contrast set thestage for deep societal
divisions and tensions thatwould eventually boil over into
conflict and that continue toimpact the blueprint of the
American nation to this day.
As the American colonies developfurther into the nation, the
(16:55):
United States, we begin to seehow slavery didn't just fuel the
economy.
It shaped the very fabric ofsociety.
Slavery was more than just aneconomic institution.
Slavery was more than just aneconomic institution.
It was a social order, acultural cornerstone that
defined life in the colonies,especially in the South.
In the Southern colonies, adistinct culture emerged around
(17:18):
the institution of slavery.
The South developed a societydeeply rooted in agrarian
traditions and hierarchicalstructures with slavery at its
core, so that even if you didnot own slaves, as most white
southerners did not by 1860, youstill benefited from the
hierarchy and societalstructures created by chattel
(17:38):
slavery, plantations had becomemore than just economic
enterprises.
They were microcosms ofsouthern society, reflecting its
values, norms and powerdynamics.
Imagine a sprawling plantation,the grand manor house,
surrounded by meticulouslycultivated fields.
This was the domain of theplanter aristocracy, a small
(18:00):
elite class that wieldedenormous power and influence.
They built their wealth andstatus on the back of enslaved
laborers, and their entire wayof life was dependent on
maintaining this system.
The planter class sawthemselves as the guardians of a
genteel agrarian way of life,one that was inherently superior
to the industrial bustlingNorth Historian Eugene Genovese,
(18:24):
in his work Roll Jordan Rolldescribes how the southern
planters developed apaternalistic ideology to
justify slavery.
They viewed themselves asbenevolent guardians providing
care and protection to theirenslaved workers, who in turn,
were seen as childlike oranimal-like and incapable of
(18:44):
taking care of themselves.
This paternalism was aconvenient fiction that masked
the brutal reality of slavery,allowing slaveholders to see
themselves as moral and uprightwhile perpetuating a system of
unimaginable cruelty.
But the reality for theenslaved was far different.
Of course, slavery imposed arigid social order where African
(19:08):
Americans were seen as property, not people.
This dehumanization wasreinforced through laws,
religion and everydayinteractions.
The legal system strippedslaves of their rights and
humanity, enforcing their statusas chattel.
Religion, too, was often usedto justify slavery, with
(19:28):
biblical passages twisted tosupport the idea that slavery
was a divinely sanctionedinstitution.
Frederick Douglass, one of thefathers of American emancipation
and someone whom we willelaborate on later, wrote in his
autobiography I should regardbeing the slave of a religious
master the greatest calamitythat could befall me.
(19:51):
In the North, the cultural andsocial implications of slavery
were more complex.
While Northern states began togradually abolish slavery in the
late 18th and early 19thcenturies, the legacy of slavery
left deep marks on Northernsociety.
Racial prejudice andsegregation persisted, and
(20:11):
African Americans in the Northfaced significant discrimination
.
And African Americans in theNorth face significant
discrimination.
Abolitionist movements gainedmomentum, challenging the moral
and ethical justifications toslavery and helped push it to
its end.
Frederick Douglass and HarrietBeecher Stowe brought the brutal
realities of slavery to theforefront of public
consciousness.
(20:31):
Douglass, an escaped slavehimself, became one of the most
powerful voices against slavery,eloquently articulating the
pain and injustice of theinstitution.
Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabinexposed the horrors of slavery
to a broad audience, galvanizinganti-slavery sentiment in the
(20:51):
North.
It is said that Queen Victoriaof England cried when she first
read the book.
It is said that Queen Victoriaof England cried when she first
read the book.
The cultural divide between theNorth and the South grew
increasingly stark.
In the South, slavery was seenas an integral part of the
social order, something that wasnot only economically necessary
but also morally justified.
(21:12):
In the North, growingabolitionist sentiments framed
slavery as a moral abomination,a blight on the nation's
conscience.
The impact of slavery on classand social structure in the
colonies and later in Americawas profound.
In the South, a rigid hierarchydeveloped, with the planter
class at the top, poor whitefarmers and laborers in the
(21:35):
middle and enslaved AfricanAmericans at the bottom.
This hierarchy was maintainedthrough violence, intimidation
and a pervasive culture of whitesupremacy.
The concept of race wassolidified, creating a racial
caste system that would endurelong after slavery itself was
abolished.
Historian Eric Foner points outthat slavery's legacy in
(21:58):
shaping American society isundeniable.
The racial prejudices andsocial hierarchies established
during this period laid thegroundwork for the systemic
racism and inequality thatpersisted long after the Civil
War.
The cultural and socialimplications of slavery created
deep fissures in Americansociety, fissures that would
(22:19):
eventually erupt into thecataclysm of the Civil War.
So what about the foundingfathers.
Did they not know this was anissue?
What about the likes of Madison, jefferson, george Washington?
What was their position in allthis?
We briefly mentioned Washingtonduring the episode on his
leadership, season 1, episode 1.
(22:40):
We talked about how hisposition on slavery was typical
for the time, if not slightlyprogressive.
He thought slavery wasunprofitable, morally dubious,
but really did not do anythingagainst the institution
throughout his life.
Only in his will did he freehis slaves after he died.
In other words, the economicadvantages derived from slavery
(23:04):
were too large to do away withduring his lifetime.
It is here that we encounter oneof the most profound and
troubling paradoxes in historythe founding fathers and their
thoughts on this greatest ofpoisoned pills of American
democratic experiment.
We have to square that thoserevered champions of liberty,
equality and the pursuit ofhappiness were themselves deeply
(23:27):
entangled in the institution ofslavery.
This contradiction sits at thevery heart of America's origin,
casting a long, dark shadow overthe ideals upon which the
nation was founded on.
Pretending this isn't the caseactually diminishes the
complexity and innovative natureof the American experiment.
It is the ability of the nationand its framework to
(23:50):
potentially correct its innatewrongs that honors the system
designed by the framers.
Take Thomas Jefferson, forexample, the principal author of
the Declaration of Independence, who famously declared that all
men are created equal.
Yet he owned hundreds of slavesthroughout his lifetime.
Jefferson's Monticello estatewas a bustling plantation
(24:14):
sustained by the labor ofenslaved African Americans.
Despite his philosophicalmusings on the evils of slavery,
jefferson never freed the vastmajority of his slaves.
In fact, jefferson wroteextensively about the
inferiority of the black raceand its ultimate incompatibility
with whites.
Historian Annette Gordon-Reedhas dived deeply into this
(24:37):
dichotomy, noting that Jeffersonwas never able to reconcile his
lofty ideals with the brutalrealities of his own life.
His solution consisted of aneventual dying out of slavery
and the eventual deportation ofmillions of black Americans back
to Africa.
James Madison, the father of theConstitution, had a more
(24:58):
pragmatic approach.
Madison acknowledged thatslavery was morally wrong, but
doubted the feasibility ofimmediate abolition.
He feared that a sudden end toslavery would lead to economic
collapse and social upheaval,especially in the southern
states where the economy washeavily dependent on slave labor
.
Madison's role in drafting theConstitution was pivotal, and
(25:20):
his compromises, including theinfamous Three-Fifths Compromise
, reflect the difficultbalancing act between moral
principles and politicalrealities.
Now, if you don't know what theThree-Fifths Compromise is.
Let me explain it to you assuccinctly as I can.
During the ConstitutionalConvention of 1787, one of the
(25:41):
many deals that had to be struckin order to ensure ratification
called for a compromise for thepurposes of representation in
Congress and taxation.
This agreement determined thateach enslaved person would be
counted as three-fifths of aperson.
In agreeing to this partition,the Constitution implicitly
acknowledges the inhumanity ofslavery.
(26:03):
And yet there it lives withinthe founding framework of the
nation.
Another shameful compromise inregards to slavery was one we
mentioned earlier in thisepisode.
Regards to slavery was one wementioned earlier in this
episode.
Congress was not allowed toregulate the slave trade until
1808, roughly 20 years fromratification.
Without this provision, statessuch as Georgia and South
(26:25):
Carolina would not have enteredthe Union.
By counting enslaved people asthree-fifths of a person, the
southern states gained morepolitical power than they would
have otherwise, while stilldenying these individuals any
rights or recognition as humanbeings.
Benjamin Franklin, once a slaveowner himself, became a vocal
(26:47):
abolitionist later in life.
Franklin's transformation froma slaveholder to ardent opponent
of slavery underscores thepossibility for change and
redemption.
He joined the PennsylvaniaAbolition Society and used his
considerable influence to pushfor the end of slavery, arguing
that it was a stain on the newnation's conscience.
(27:07):
And boy was he right.
Unfortunately for America andfor Franklin, the economic
interests tied to slavery weresimply too powerful for the new
nation to sustain.
And then there were thosefounding fathers who actively
supported abolition.
John Adams and AlexanderHamilton are notable examples.
(27:28):
Adams, a Massachusetts native,never owned slaves and was a
staunch opponent of theinstitution.
He believed that slavery wasincompatible.
Staunch opponent of theinstitution, he believed that
slavery was incompatible withthe ideals of the American
Revolution.
Hamilton, an immigrant from theCaribbean, also abhorred
slavery.
His experiences growing up in aslave society influenced his
(27:48):
strong abolitionist stance.
These men, though in theminority, represented the
growing anti-slavery sentimentthat would eventually settle in
the north of the United States.
This dichotomy among thefounding fathers reflects the
broader national struggle.
On the one hand, the nation wasfounded on revolutionary
principles of liberty andequality.
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On the other, it was built onthe back of enslaved people with
economic and social systemsdeeply intertwined with slavery.
This paradox would haunt thenation for decades, setting the
stage for the intense andviolent conflict that was to
come.
So now we are transitioningfrom the founding of the nation
into the early 19th century andwe see how the institution of
(28:33):
slavery began to shape Americanpolitics and society more
profoundly, leading toincreasing sectionalism and
setting the stage for theeventual eruption of the Civil
War.
The seeds of conflict were sownin these early years and they
grew into deep-rooted divisionsthat would ultimately tear the
nation apart.
As I said before, the seedsthat would eventually lead to
(28:56):
open war were sawn all acrossthe economy, social structures
and political compromises of thenations.
I've already mentioned theConstitutional Convention as a
key moment that set the tone,but it is worth exploring this a
bit further.
The compromises made duringthis convention, particularly
regarding slavery, were criticalto placating southern states
(29:19):
and ensuring their participationin the new government.
The Three-Fifths Compromise andclauses regarding the slave
trade and fugitive slaves, as wediscussed earlier, were key
components of these negotiations.
However, these same compromisesalso entrenched slavery deeper
into the American politicalsystem, making future conflict
(29:40):
almost inevitable.
As the nation expanded westwards, the issue of whether new
territories would permit slaverybecame a flashpoint.
The Missouri Compromise of 1820was one of the first major
legislative attempts to balancethe interests of free and slave
states.
The Compromise allowed Missourito enter the Union as a slave
(30:02):
state while admitting Maine as afree state.
Maintaining a balance in theSenate, it also established the
36-30 parallel as a dividingline.
Territories north of this linewould be free and those south
would allow slavery.
This compromise temporarilyeased tensions, but it was clear
(30:22):
that the underlying issueremained unresolved.
Then, later, the Dred Scottdecision of 1857 further
inflamed sectional tensions.
Further inflamed sectionaltensions.
In this landmark case, the USSupreme Court ruled that African
Americans, whether free orenslaved, could not be American
citizens and therefore had nostanding to sue in federal court
(30:45):
.
Moreover, the court declaredthat the Missouri Compromise was
unconstitutional, assertingthat Congress had no authority
to prohibit slavery in theterritories.
This decision emboldenedpro-slavery advocates and
outraged abolitionists,deepening the national divide.
(31:05):
Chief Justice Roger Taney addedfuel to the fire by further
stating that African Americanswere quote so far inferior that
they had no rights which thewhite man was bound to respect.
End quote.
That same guy would swear inAbraham Lincoln just a few years
later, the man who was bound tostart the process of the
destruction of slavery.
(31:26):
The Compromise of 1850 attemptedto address the issue of slavery
in territories acquired duringthe Mexican-American War, a war
that, one could argue, wasfought for the expansion of
slavery in territories acquiredduring the Mexican-American War,
a war that one could argue wasfought for the expansion of
slavery.
This complex package of billsadmitted California as a free
state, while allowing theterritories of New Mexico and
Utah to decide the issue ofslavery through popular
(31:48):
sovereignty.
It also included a stricterfugitive slave law, which
mandated that citizens assist inthe recovery of escaped slaves
and the night accused runawaysthe right to a jury trial.
In addition, the law statedthat any black person in a free
state could be accused of beinga fugitive slave, and US
(32:08):
Marshals were obligated toassist in the apprehension and
capture of anyone accused.
This law was particularlycontroversial in the North,
where it was seen as anegregious violation of personal
liberties and states' rights.
Historian James McPherson, inhis book Battle Cry of Freedom,
argues that these compromiseswere merely temporary solutions
(32:30):
that failed to address the rootcause of the conflict, that
irreconcilable differencesbetween a society built on slave
labor and one moving towardsfree labor and industrialization
.
Each compromise was a band-aidon a festering wound, postponing
but not preventing theinevitable clash.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854,which allowed new territories
(32:54):
to decide the issue of slaverythrough popular sovereignty, led
to violent confrontations knownas Bleeding Kansas.
We'll talk more about that inour next episode.
But one could say that this wasthe first true salvo of the
Civil War, as Kansas wasembroiled in open warfare
between pro-slavery andanti-slavery settlers who
(33:14):
flooded into Kansas, each sidedetermined to sway the vote by
any means necessary.
The resulting violence was agrim preview of the national
conflict to come, demonstratingthat compromise and legislative
measures were failing to containthe growing animosity between
the North and the South.
The political landscape alsoshifted dramatically during this
(33:37):
period.
The Whig Party disintegratedlargely over the issue of
slavery, leading to the rise ofthe Republican Party, which was
founded on an anti-slaveryplatform.
Abraham Lincoln, a relativelyunknown lawyer and politician
from Illinois, emerged as aprominent voice against the
expansion of slavery.
His debates with SenatorStephen Douglas during the
(34:01):
Illinois Senate race of 1858brought him national attention
and solidified his position as aleading figure in the
anti-slavery movement.
As tensions continued to rise,the nation hurtled towards a
breaking point.
The election of Abraham Lincolnin 1860, with his platform of
preventing the spread of slavery, was the final straw for many
(34:23):
southern states.
Viewing his election as adirect threat to their way of
life and economic interests,these states began to secede
from the Union, leading to theformation of the Confederate
States of America, the stage wasset for the most devastating
conflict in American history.
Seed from the Union leading tothe formation of the Confederate
States of America, the stagewas set for the most devastating
conflict in American history.
(34:43):
The political, social andeconomic differences between the
North and the South, deeplyintertwined with the institution
of slavery, had created apowder keg ready to explode.
We will leave things here fornow.
Next time, on Doval Helix, wewill deep dive into the
immediate sparks that ignitedthe Civil War, from Lincoln's
election to the attack on FortSumter.
Stay with us as we explore howthe nation plunged into a war
(35:07):
that would forever alter itscourse Until next time.
We will see you soon.
Welcome to Double Helix Blueprint of Nations,
season 2, episode 2.1, originalSin.
Welcome once again to Season 2of Double Helix Blueprint of
(00:28):
Nations.
I'm Paul, and if you're hereit's because you share my
fascination with the DNA ofnations.
This season, we're diving intocivil conflicts and wars that
have not only altered the courseof their own nation's histories
, but have also sent ripplesacross the globe.
We began our journey with theColombian conflict, unraveling
(00:49):
the complexities and enduringimpacts of that struggle.
Now we shift our focus to oneof the most consequential and
pivotal events in Americanhistory, an event so monumental
that it forever changed thedirection of the country and its
relationship with itself.
I am, of course, talking aboutthe war between the states, more
(01:12):
commonly known as the UnitedStates Civil War.
The Civil War changed the faceof the United States forever and
continues, almost 150 yearslater, to provoke fervent debate
.
Now, if you know anything abouthistory, you know that 150
years isn't that long.
(01:33):
This means the Civil War andits impacts are still very much
alive in the American psyche.
Think about it.
This was a conflict that pittedbrother against brother,
neighbor against neighbor.
It wasn't just a war fought onbattlefields.
It was a war that cut deep intothe social and cultural fabric
(01:53):
of the nation.
The echoes of this conflict arestill felt today in debates
over race relations, states'rights and national identity.
Race relations, states' rightsand national identity.
We will explore the roots of theconflict, from the founding of
the nation and the original sinof slavery, through the economic
and social divides that widenedover the decades, to the
(02:16):
explosive events that finallyignited the war.
We'll also look at key figures,the major battles and the
strategies employed by bothsides.
We'll also dig into thepersonal stories, the lives
disrupted, the communities tornapart and the enduring legacy of
a nation striving to reconcileits ideals with its realities.
(02:38):
In this episode, original Sin,we'll start at the very
beginning.
Original Sin will start at thevery beginning.
How did the ideals of freedomand equality coexist with the
brutal institution of slavery?
How did the founding fathers,who championed liberty, justify
the ownership of human beings?
And how did the compromisesmade at the birth of the nation
(03:01):
sow the seeds for futureconflict?
We'll explore these questionsand more, setting the stage for
our journey through the CivilWar.
This story, like all stories,has a beginning.
Just as we saw in Colombia,there are poison pills embedded
into the very fabric of America.
These pills were so toxic, socontradictory to the nation's
(03:25):
ideals and rhetoric, that theybecame, and continue to be, the
original sin of the UnitedStates.
That sin, of course, is slavery.
Now it's important to addnuance and complexity to this
(03:48):
topic, to explain the pervasivegrip slavery had over America,
both as an institution and adeeply entrenched system.
It is also crucial toacknowledge that America was not
alone in its thirst for Africanslave labor.
The French, the Spanish and thePortuguese enslaved and
imported the majority of thepeople in bondage to the
Americas.
And, yes, some people ofEuropean descent endure forms of
labor that were essentiallyslavery in all but name.
(04:11):
But all of that context must becouched within the unequivocal
truth borne out by thehistorical record and the facts.
The primary reason why thestates of the new American
Republic went to war againsteach other was slavery, full
stop.
Slavery was a central issuethat divided the nation and
(04:33):
ultimately led to civil war.
The debates over states' rights, economic differences and
cultural clashes were all deeplyintertwined with the question
of slavery.
Ashes were all deeplyintertwined with the question of
slavery.
And yet I know some of youlistening will still want to
argue it, deny it and say thatthere were other reasons, and I
get it.
The visceral reaction elicitedby the notion that over 600,000
(04:57):
people died in a fight overwhether one set of humans could
preserve the right to keepothers in bondage is jarring at
best and terrifying and shamefulat worst.
But those are the facts.
One way this becomesself-evident is by reading the
declarations of secession fromthe various states.
These documents clearly citethe preservation of slavery as a
(05:20):
core institution of southernsociety and economy as the
primary reason for breaking thebonds of the Union.
The language is unambiguous.
For example, mississippi'sDeclaration states Our position
is thoroughly identified withthe institution of slavery, the
greatest material interest ofthe world.
(05:40):
South Carolina's Declarationsimilarly emphasizes slavery
centrality to their secession.
Another compelling piece ofevidence is the pattern of
secession itself.
It didn't follow any particulareconomic or geographic logic.
Instead, it was determined bythe percentage of the slave
(06:02):
population in those states.
The higher the number of slaves, the more eager the state was
to secede.
This correlation highlights themore entrenched a state was in
the institution of slavery, themore fervently it sought to
leave the Union to protect thatinstitution.
This is the reality we mustconfront as we explore the roots
(06:22):
of the Civil War.
It is a difficult, oftenuncomfortable truth, but
understanding it is essential tograsping the full scope of
American history and theenduring impact of this conflict
on the nation.
The story of American slaverybegins in the early 17th century
.
In total, 550,000 humans werebrought to North America between
(06:44):
1619 and 1808, the year theConstitution, on Article I,
section 9, marked as the year inwhich Congress could legally
legislate the slave trade.
Afterwards, as many as 50,000more people were brought in
illegally.
Illegally, the year 1619 isimportant because it marks the
(07:09):
date when a ship carrying 20African slaves docked at Point
Comfort in the Virginia colony.
This moment, though seeminglyminor at the time, set in motion
a chain of events that wouldshape the nation's history.
Initially, african slaves in thecolonies were treated similarly
to indenture servants.
They worked for a set period,often seven years, before
gaining their freedom.
The system, borrowed from theEnglish practice of indenture
(07:33):
servitude, allowed landowners toacquire labor cheaply.
But here's a twist Over time,the status of African workers
began to change.
The line between indentureservant and lifelong slave
blurred and then vanishedentirely.
The importation of people intoNorth America constituted around
(07:53):
8% of the total slavepopulation sold out of
sub-Saharan Africa to theAmericas and South Asia, a
distinctive characteristic ofthe conditions in North America,
which differ significantly fromother parts of the Americas,
where the hard labor, abuse andpoor nutrition had made for
short lives for the slaves.
(08:14):
And in the United States theslave population actually rose
to nearly 4 million by the eveof the war in 1861.
This is when slavery apologistswill surface and say it was
because of the fantastictreatment given to slaves in
America.
The reality is that it waslikely the result of concerted
breeding programs byslaveholders and the natural
(08:37):
desire of slaves to formfamilies in order to better
endure the ordeal.
Anyway, back to the chronology.
By the late 1600s, virginia andother colonies started to codify
racial slavery into law.
Laws passed in Virginia in the1660s made the status of African
(08:58):
workers permanent andhereditary.
If you were born to a slavemother, you were a slave for
life.
These laws weren't just aboutlabor, they were about control
and power.
The transformation wasdeliberate, designed to create a
clear, racially definedunderclass.
One of the most strikingexamples of this legal shift
(09:20):
comes from a 1662 Virginia lawstating that children born to
enslaved mothers would inherittheir mother's status.
This law ensured that theinstitution of slavery would
perpetuate itself acrossgenerations.
It was a system built ondehumanization, where African
slaves were seen not as peoplebut as property chattel to be
(09:44):
bought, sold and exploited.
Chattel to be bought, sold andexploited.
Thus this type of slaverydiffers significantly from
historical slavery as practicedsince the onset of civilization.
Since people have been people,there have been slaves, though
often slavery was primarilybased on subjugation.
In other words, you wereconquered, therefore you became
(10:06):
a slave.
Treatment and conditions werenot less brutal.
But the concept of racializedchattel slavery is a fairly
modern invention, fullyexpressed in the New World
Historian Ira Berlin, in hisseminal work Many Thousands Gone
, notes that these early legalcodifications were pivotal.
(10:26):
They marked the transition froma society with slaves to a
fully developed slave society.
This transformation didn'thappen overnight.
It was a gradual and aninsidious process as economic
incentives and racial prejudiceintertwined to create a deeply
entrenched system of racialslavery.
By the end of the 17th centurythe institution of slavery was
(10:50):
firmly established in theAmerican colonies.
The labor of enslaved Africanshad become essential to the
colonial economy, particularlyin the South where large
plantations began to dominatethe landscape.
Tobacco, rice, indigo, sugarand eventually cotton
plantations flourished, allbuilt on the back of enslaved
(11:13):
labor.
By 1860, the entire apparatusof southern economic wealth
somewhere near the $2 billionmark was supported on the back
of slavery, literally andfiguratively.
On the back of slavery.
Literally and figuratively, thelegal foundations laid during
this period would have profoundand lasting effects.
They created a society whereracialized inequality was
(11:39):
institutionalized and the seedsof future conflict were sown.
As we progress deeper into thisstory, we'll see how these
early decisions and laws set thestage for the immense struggles
and conflicts to come.
As the American colonies grew,so did their reliance on slavery
.
The economy of the southerncolonies in particular, as we
said before, became inextricablylinked with the institution of
(12:02):
slavery.
Picture the sprawling tobaccoplantations of Virginia, the
rice fields of South Carolinaand later the vast cotton
plantations that stretchedacross the Deep South.
All these thriving agriculturalenterprises had one thing in
common they were built on thebacks of enslaved African
laborers.
The southern economy was anagricultural juggernaut.
(12:26):
Tobacco was the first majorcash crop, driving the demand
for more labor.
As historian Edward Baptistdescribes in his book, slavery
was not just an economic systembut a relentless machine of
productivity and profit.
The wealth generated fromtobacco was staggering, and it
was clear that more labor meantmore money.
(12:48):
Hence the demand for Africanslaves grew exponentially.
In South Carolina, rice becamethe staple crop, and its
cultivation was labor-intensiveand arduous.
Enslaved Africans, many of whomwere brought from rice-growing
regions of West Africa, providedthe expertise and the labor
needed to turn South Carolinainto a rice powerhouse.
(13:10):
The climate and geography ofthe Lowcountry were perfect for
rice, but the work wasback-breaking and dangerous.
Yet for the plantation owners,the profits were worth every
drop of sweat and blood shed bytheir slaves.
Then came cotton, the crop thatwould transform the South and
its reliance on slavery tounprecedented levels.
(13:33):
The invention of the cotton ginby Eli Whitney in 1793
revolutionized cotton production, making it easier to separate
the seeds from the cotton fibers.
This innovation turned cottoninto the South's dominant cash
crop.
Almost overnight, the demandfor cotton in textile mills
across Europe and the northernUnited States skyrocketed,
(13:57):
leading to a corresponding boomin the demand for slave labor.
Georgia is an example of thiscotton explosion.
In 1800, around 60,000 slaveslived there.
By 1860, just 60 years later,the slave population had grown
to 462,000, almost as manyslaves as in all of Cuba.
(14:20):
Slavery wasn't just a southernphenomenon, though.
In the northern coloniesslavery existed, but played a
different role.
The north's economy was morediversified and industrialized.
Slaves in the north were oftenused in domestic roles, skilled
labor and small-scale farming.
However, the north was notimmune to the economic benefits
(14:42):
of the slave trade.
Northern merchants andshipbuilders made fortunes from
the transatlantic slave trade,and northern banks financed
southern plantations.
The interconnectedness of theNorth and the South through the
economy of slavery cannot beoverstated.
Historian Sven Becker, in hisbook Empire of Cotton,
(15:03):
illustrates how the globaleconomy of the 18th and 19th
century was intricately linkedto slavery.
Cotton produced by slave laborin the South fueled
industrialization and economicgrowth, not just in the United
States but worldwide.
This created a system whereeven those who did not own
slaves directly benefited fromthe institution.
(15:26):
But let's not forget the humancost behind these economic gains
.
The slaves who toiled in thefields and workshops lived in
brutal conditions, subjected toinhumane treatment and stripped
of their dignity and humanity.
Families were torn apart,individuals were treated as mere
commodities, and the physicaland psychological.
(15:47):
So you might be saying, paul,this sucks, you're pulling a
Columbia on us again.
No good guys.
And all that.
And while you might be temptedto think that, I do think at
some point in this story therewill be a right side versus
(16:10):
wrong side.
But not yet.
And certainly so as not tooffend any hardcore real
historians, I will say that thisis my personal estimation, with
my own moral values at play.
But I digress.
As we continue our journeythrough the history of American
slavery, it is crucial toremember this duality, the
(16:31):
immense economic benefits reapedby a few and the unimaginable
suffering endured by many.
This stark contrast set thestage for deep societal
divisions and tensions thatwould eventually boil over into
conflict and that continue toimpact the blueprint of the
American nation to this day.
As the American colonies developfurther into the nation, the
(16:55):
United States, we begin to seehow slavery didn't just fuel the
economy.
It shaped the very fabric ofsociety.
Slavery was more than just aneconomic institution.
Slavery was more than just aneconomic institution.
It was a social order, acultural cornerstone that
defined life in the colonies,especially in the South.
In the Southern colonies, adistinct culture emerged around
(17:18):
the institution of slavery.
The South developed a societydeeply rooted in agrarian
traditions and hierarchicalstructures with slavery at its
core, so that even if you didnot own slaves, as most white
southerners did not by 1860, youstill benefited from the
hierarchy and societalstructures created by chattel
(17:38):
slavery, plantations had becomemore than just economic
enterprises.
They were microcosms ofsouthern society, reflecting its
values, norms and powerdynamics.
Imagine a sprawling plantation,the grand manor house,
surrounded by meticulouslycultivated fields.
This was the domain of theplanter aristocracy, a small
(18:00):
elite class that wieldedenormous power and influence.
They built their wealth andstatus on the back of enslaved
laborers, and their entire wayof life was dependent on
maintaining this system.
The planter class sawthemselves as the guardians of a
genteel agrarian way of life,one that was inherently superior
to the industrial bustlingNorth Historian Eugene Genovese,
(18:24):
in his work Roll Jordan Rolldescribes how the southern
planters developed apaternalistic ideology to
justify slavery.
They viewed themselves asbenevolent guardians providing
care and protection to theirenslaved workers, who in turn,
were seen as childlike oranimal-like and incapable of
(18:44):
taking care of themselves.
This paternalism was aconvenient fiction that masked
the brutal reality of slavery,allowing slaveholders to see
themselves as moral and uprightwhile perpetuating a system of
unimaginable cruelty.
But the reality for theenslaved was far different.
Of course, slavery imposed arigid social order where African
(19:08):
Americans were seen as property, not people.
This dehumanization wasreinforced through laws,
religion and everydayinteractions.
The legal system strippedslaves of their rights and
humanity, enforcing their statusas chattel.
Religion, too, was often usedto justify slavery, with
(19:28):
biblical passages twisted tosupport the idea that slavery
was a divinely sanctionedinstitution.
Frederick Douglass, one of thefathers of American emancipation
and someone whom we willelaborate on later, wrote in his
autobiography I should regardbeing the slave of a religious
master the greatest calamitythat could befall me.
(19:51):
In the North, the cultural andsocial implications of slavery
were more complex.
While Northern states began togradually abolish slavery in the
late 18th and early 19thcenturies, the legacy of slavery
left deep marks on Northernsociety.
Racial prejudice andsegregation persisted, and
(20:11):
African Americans in the Northfaced significant discrimination
.
And African Americans in theNorth face significant
discrimination.
Abolitionist movements gainedmomentum, challenging the moral
and ethical justifications toslavery and helped push it to
its end.
Frederick Douglass and HarrietBeecher Stowe brought the brutal
realities of slavery to theforefront of public
consciousness.
(20:31):
Douglass, an escaped slavehimself, became one of the most
powerful voices against slavery,eloquently articulating the
pain and injustice of theinstitution.
Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabinexposed the horrors of slavery
to a broad audience, galvanizinganti-slavery sentiment in the
(20:51):
North.
It is said that Queen Victoriaof England cried when she first
read the book.
It is said that Queen Victoriaof England cried when she first
read the book.
The cultural divide between theNorth and the South grew
increasingly stark.
In the South, slavery was seenas an integral part of the
social order, something that wasnot only economically necessary
but also morally justified.
(21:12):
In the North, growingabolitionist sentiments framed
slavery as a moral abomination,a blight on the nation's
conscience.
The impact of slavery on classand social structure in the
colonies and later in Americawas profound.
In the South, a rigid hierarchydeveloped, with the planter
class at the top, poor whitefarmers and laborers in the
(21:35):
middle and enslaved AfricanAmericans at the bottom.
This hierarchy was maintainedthrough violence, intimidation
and a pervasive culture of whitesupremacy.
The concept of race wassolidified, creating a racial
caste system that would endurelong after slavery itself was
abolished.
Historian Eric Foner points outthat slavery's legacy in
(21:58):
shaping American society isundeniable.
The racial prejudices andsocial hierarchies established
during this period laid thegroundwork for the systemic
racism and inequality thatpersisted long after the Civil
War.
The cultural and socialimplications of slavery created
deep fissures in Americansociety, fissures that would
(22:19):
eventually erupt into thecataclysm of the Civil War.
So what about the foundingfathers.
Did they not know this was anissue?
What about the likes of Madison, jefferson, george Washington?
What was their position in allthis?
We briefly mentioned Washingtonduring the episode on his
leadership, season 1, episode 1.
(22:40):
We talked about how hisposition on slavery was typical
for the time, if not slightlyprogressive.
He thought slavery wasunprofitable, morally dubious,
but really did not do anythingagainst the institution
throughout his life.
Only in his will did he freehis slaves after he died.
In other words, the economicadvantages derived from slavery
(23:04):
were too large to do away withduring his lifetime.
It is here that we encounter oneof the most profound and
troubling paradoxes in historythe founding fathers and their
thoughts on this greatest ofpoisoned pills of American
democratic experiment.
We have to square that thoserevered champions of liberty,
equality and the pursuit ofhappiness were themselves deeply
(23:27):
entangled in the institution ofslavery.
This contradiction sits at thevery heart of America's origin,
casting a long, dark shadow overthe ideals upon which the
nation was founded on.
Pretending this isn't the caseactually diminishes the
complexity and innovative natureof the American experiment.
It is the ability of the nationand its framework to
(23:50):
potentially correct its innatewrongs that honors the system
designed by the framers.
Take Thomas Jefferson, forexample, the principal author of
the Declaration of Independence, who famously declared that all
men are created equal.
Yet he owned hundreds of slavesthroughout his lifetime.
Jefferson's Monticello estatewas a bustling plantation
(24:14):
sustained by the labor ofenslaved African Americans.
Despite his philosophicalmusings on the evils of slavery,
jefferson never freed the vastmajority of his slaves.
In fact, jefferson wroteextensively about the
inferiority of the black raceand its ultimate incompatibility
with whites.
Historian Annette Gordon-Reedhas dived deeply into this
(24:37):
dichotomy, noting that Jeffersonwas never able to reconcile his
lofty ideals with the brutalrealities of his own life.
His solution consisted of aneventual dying out of slavery
and the eventual deportation ofmillions of black Americans back
to Africa.
James Madison, the father of theConstitution, had a more
(24:58):
pragmatic approach.
Madison acknowledged thatslavery was morally wrong, but
doubted the feasibility ofimmediate abolition.
He feared that a sudden end toslavery would lead to economic
collapse and social upheaval,especially in the southern
states where the economy washeavily dependent on slave labor
.
Madison's role in drafting theConstitution was pivotal, and
(25:20):
his compromises, including theinfamous Three-Fifths Compromise
, reflect the difficultbalancing act between moral
principles and politicalrealities.
Now, if you don't know what theThree-Fifths Compromise is.
Let me explain it to you assuccinctly as I can.
During the ConstitutionalConvention of 1787, one of the
(25:41):
many deals that had to be struckin order to ensure ratification
called for a compromise for thepurposes of representation in
Congress and taxation.
This agreement determined thateach enslaved person would be
counted as three-fifths of aperson.
In agreeing to this partition,the Constitution implicitly
acknowledges the inhumanity ofslavery.
(26:03):
And yet there it lives withinthe founding framework of the
nation.
Another shameful compromise inregards to slavery was one we
mentioned earlier in thisepisode.
Regards to slavery was one wementioned earlier in this
episode.
Congress was not allowed toregulate the slave trade until
1808, roughly 20 years fromratification.
Without this provision, statessuch as Georgia and South
(26:25):
Carolina would not have enteredthe Union.
By counting enslaved people asthree-fifths of a person, the
southern states gained morepolitical power than they would
have otherwise, while stilldenying these individuals any
rights or recognition as humanbeings.
Benjamin Franklin, once a slaveowner himself, became a vocal
(26:47):
abolitionist later in life.
Franklin's transformation froma slaveholder to ardent opponent
of slavery underscores thepossibility for change and
redemption.
He joined the PennsylvaniaAbolition Society and used his
considerable influence to pushfor the end of slavery, arguing
that it was a stain on the newnation's conscience.
(27:07):
And boy was he right.
Unfortunately for America andfor Franklin, the economic
interests tied to slavery weresimply too powerful for the new
nation to sustain.
And then there were thosefounding fathers who actively
supported abolition.
John Adams and AlexanderHamilton are notable examples.
(27:28):
Adams, a Massachusetts native,never owned slaves and was a
staunch opponent of theinstitution.
He believed that slavery wasincompatible.
Staunch opponent of theinstitution, he believed that
slavery was incompatible withthe ideals of the American
Revolution.
Hamilton, an immigrant from theCaribbean, also abhorred
slavery.
His experiences growing up in aslave society influenced his
(27:48):
strong abolitionist stance.
These men, though in theminority, represented the
growing anti-slavery sentimentthat would eventually settle in
the north of the United States.
This dichotomy among thefounding fathers reflects the
broader national struggle.
On the one hand, the nation wasfounded on revolutionary
principles of liberty andequality.
(28:09):
On the other, it was built onthe back of enslaved people with
economic and social systemsdeeply intertwined with slavery.
This paradox would haunt thenation for decades, setting the
stage for the intense andviolent conflict that was to
come.
So now we are transitioningfrom the founding of the nation
into the early 19th century andwe see how the institution of
(28:33):
slavery began to shape Americanpolitics and society more
profoundly, leading toincreasing sectionalism and
setting the stage for theeventual eruption of the Civil
War.
The seeds of conflict were sownin these early years and they
grew into deep-rooted divisionsthat would ultimately tear the
nation apart.
As I said before, the seedsthat would eventually lead to
(28:56):
open war were sawn all acrossthe economy, social structures
and political compromises of thenations.
I've already mentioned theConstitutional Convention as a
key moment that set the tone,but it is worth exploring this a
bit further.
The compromises made duringthis convention, particularly
regarding slavery, were criticalto placating southern states
(29:19):
and ensuring their participationin the new government.
The Three-Fifths Compromise andclauses regarding the slave
trade and fugitive slaves, as wediscussed earlier, were key
components of these negotiations.
However, these same compromisesalso entrenched slavery deeper
into the American politicalsystem, making future conflict
(29:40):
almost inevitable.
As the nation expanded westwards, the issue of whether new
territories would permit slaverybecame a flashpoint.
The Missouri Compromise of 1820was one of the first major
legislative attempts to balancethe interests of free and slave
states.
The Compromise allowed Missourito enter the Union as a slave
(30:02):
state while admitting Maine as afree state.
Maintaining a balance in theSenate, it also established the
36-30 parallel as a dividingline.
Territories north of this linewould be free and those south
would allow slavery.
This compromise temporarilyeased tensions, but it was clear
(30:22):
that the underlying issueremained unresolved.
Then, later, the Dred Scottdecision of 1857 further
inflamed sectional tensions.
Further inflamed sectionaltensions.
In this landmark case, the USSupreme Court ruled that African
Americans, whether free orenslaved, could not be American
citizens and therefore had nostanding to sue in federal court
(30:45):
.
Moreover, the court declaredthat the Missouri Compromise was
unconstitutional, assertingthat Congress had no authority
to prohibit slavery in theterritories.
This decision emboldenedpro-slavery advocates and
outraged abolitionists,deepening the national divide.
(31:05):
Chief Justice Roger Taney addedfuel to the fire by further
stating that African Americanswere quote so far inferior that
they had no rights which thewhite man was bound to respect.
End quote.
That same guy would swear inAbraham Lincoln just a few years
later, the man who was bound tostart the process of the
destruction of slavery.
(31:26):
The Compromise of 1850 attemptedto address the issue of slavery
in territories acquired duringthe Mexican-American War, a war
that, one could argue, wasfought for the expansion of
slavery in territories acquiredduring the Mexican-American War,
a war that one could argue wasfought for the expansion of
slavery.
This complex package of billsadmitted California as a free
state, while allowing theterritories of New Mexico and
Utah to decide the issue ofslavery through popular
(31:48):
sovereignty.
It also included a stricterfugitive slave law, which
mandated that citizens assist inthe recovery of escaped slaves
and the night accused runawaysthe right to a jury trial.
In addition, the law statedthat any black person in a free
state could be accused of beinga fugitive slave, and US
(32:08):
Marshals were obligated toassist in the apprehension and
capture of anyone accused.
This law was particularlycontroversial in the North,
where it was seen as anegregious violation of personal
liberties and states' rights.
Historian James McPherson, inhis book Battle Cry of Freedom,
argues that these compromiseswere merely temporary solutions
(32:30):
that failed to address the rootcause of the conflict, that
irreconcilable differencesbetween a society built on slave
labor and one moving towardsfree labor and industrialization
.
Each compromise was a band-aidon a festering wound, postponing
but not preventing theinevitable clash.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854,which allowed new territories
(32:54):
to decide the issue of slaverythrough popular sovereignty, led
to violent confrontations knownas Bleeding Kansas.
We'll talk more about that inour next episode.
But one could say that this wasthe first true salvo of the
Civil War, as Kansas wasembroiled in open warfare
between pro-slavery andanti-slavery settlers who
(33:14):
flooded into Kansas, each sidedetermined to sway the vote by
any means necessary.
The resulting violence was agrim preview of the national
conflict to come, demonstratingthat compromise and legislative
measures were failing to containthe growing animosity between
the North and the South.
The political landscape alsoshifted dramatically during this
(33:37):
period.
The Whig Party disintegratedlargely over the issue of
slavery, leading to the rise ofthe Republican Party, which was
founded on an anti-slaveryplatform.
Abraham Lincoln, a relativelyunknown lawyer and politician
from Illinois, emerged as aprominent voice against the
expansion of slavery.
His debates with SenatorStephen Douglas during the
(34:01):
Illinois Senate race of 1858brought him national attention
and solidified his position as aleading figure in the
anti-slavery movement.
As tensions continued to rise,the nation hurtled towards a
breaking point.
The election of Abraham Lincolnin 1860, with his platform of
preventing the spread of slavery, was the final straw for many
(34:23):
southern states.
Viewing his election as adirect threat to their way of
life and economic interests,these states began to secede
from the Union, leading to theformation of the Confederate
States of America, the stage wasset for the most devastating
conflict in American history.
Seed from the Union leading tothe formation of the Confederate
States of America, the stagewas set for the most devastating
conflict in American history.
(34:43):
The political, social andeconomic differences between the
North and the South, deeplyintertwined with the institution
of slavery, had created apowder keg ready to explode.
We will leave things here fornow.
Next time, on Doval Helix, wewill deep dive into the
immediate sparks that ignitedthe Civil War, from Lincoln's
election to the attack on FortSumter.
Stay with us as we explore howthe nation plunged into a war
(35:07):
that would forever alter itscourse Until next time.
We will see you soon.
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