Slavery as a Cause

          Slavery has been around forever. It has been around ever since man was too lazy to do his own work and he forced others to do it for him. Slavery in the United States began in the early 1600s. Men and women were brought from Africa to work for settlers in Jamestown. Tobacco later became a major cash crop for them. Settlers wanted to grow more tobacco faster. Slaves were the solution to their problem.

          Slavery was a highly debated topic in the mid 1800s. The Northern states opposed it while the Southern states encouraged it. Although the states were either a slave state or a free state there were abolitionists too. In the North and South there were many abolitionist leaders that influenced others to fight for what is right. Theodore Weld, Harriet Tubman, and John Brown are great examples. Weld wrote several pamphlets on Anti-Slavery. He joined the American Anti-Slavery in 1834. Harriet Tubman was a Union spy and helped rescue over 70 slaves through the Underground Railroad. Brown and his followers attempted to raid the Federal Armory at Harper's Ferry and provide slaves with weapons. He and six of his followers were captured and hung. Some abolitionists detested slavery because it was morally wrong and others because of competition in jobs. 

          On a plantation slaves were considered property and were not paid. All they had was a place to sleep and a small amount of food that barely got them through the day. A plantation owner would much rather have someone that works for free than someone who they pay. Although slave marriage was not a legal marriage, plantation owners encouraged it. Slaves would be happier with their loved ones and work better. They might also have children which the plantation owner could keep for work or sell for money. Slavery in the United states ended in the mid 1860s.