The Changing views of race in the Civil War

Changing views of Race during the Civil War era.

It was with the discovery of the new world by Columbus in 1492 that severe slavery in the Americas began. It wouldn’t end for almost four hundred more years. From enslaving the Native American population, who were considered poor slaves, Europeans went directly to enslaving the African population. In due time these populations in southern and central America began to fade and slavery began to die a natural death. In the North American south, however, slavery was revived on its last leg when Cotton became King.

At the start of the American Civil War, 1861, enslaved peoples were considered politically, morally and mentally inferior.  Very few people considered them equals; even Abraham Lincoln, hailed as a hero and a great abolitionist, believed blacks to be inferior. Even the publication of Abolitionist works, such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin, published some ten years earlier, did not change this mindset. It did, however, make people more sympathetic, facilitated the war and laid the ground work for many future abolitionists.

Around 1863 this attitude began to change, people became more politically active and the idea that black people were inferior was undergoing a rapid change in the North. With the implementation of Lincoln’s emancipation proclamation, which was mainly for the manpower the slaves would provide and to give the north a moral reason to fight, and a growing dissenting public opinion, people were beginning to see that slaves were equal. This attitude lasted until the end of the war.

At the end of the war, opinion on race was deeply divided. The South blamed blacks for many of the problems incurred by the war, which, coupled with the already present racism led to a hostile environment for freed slaves that is still present in some areas. In the North there were a growing number of people sympathetic to the plight of black people.

In the end racism was still prevalent but numerous political acts and the military presence in the south made sure it wasn’t acted on for years. The idea of racial superiority changed rapidly over the Civil War, in the process of five years slavery was abolished and the ground work was laid of the civil rights movement that would occur nearly a century later.

The development of democracy between 1820-1840

-Western Expansion
-Changes in Electoral politics

If the election of 1800 was a revolution in American politics then the election of 1820 was a peaceful continuation of one party politics with light undercurrents of discontent and disunity. The Democrat-Republicans had been in power for twenty years with little opposition from the dying Federalists and had been in the 'Era of good Feelings' since 1817. This time of unity, however, was drawing to a sharp close. By the next election the people would be demanding new politics, more representational leaders.

By the election of 1824 people were expanding westward in large numbers. Not many had gone very far but many had penetrated the Appalachian mountain range that was previously a line of division for the American people. At this point the settlers had settled and were demanding representation, like their family in the east was recieving. Andrew Jackson, who the settlers saw as a hero was running against John Q. Adams, a good(if cold) president. Jackson did not win the necessary electoral college votes to get elected so John Adams was elected in his place. The majority of the popular vote had gone to Jackson, however and the people saw this as an unfair conspiracy by the upper classes; they saw themselves as not being represented in the highest levels of government. For this reason the election of 1824 was known as the 'Corrupt bargain'. Unsuprisingly Andrew Jackson won the next election.

The election of 1824 had a lasting effect on American politics. It was the first time Americans had blatantly expressed dissatisfaction in their voting process and rallied to change it. The placement of people in America provides a direct correlation- The further people spread out and settle,the different representation they need. In terms of politics and people the early nineteenth century is considered a time of change.