Question

1. Identify five: How and why did Southern and Northern white people differ over slavery? 2. Identify five: On what did white people of both regions agree and disagree about race and slavery? 3. Explain why Northern whites who opposed slavery and Southern whites who supported slavery both believed they were fighting to defend liberty. From: Lincoln, Abraham. "Annual Address Before the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society, at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, September 30, 1859." The Complete Works of Abraham Lincoln, vol. 5. Eds. John G. Nicolay and John Hay. New York: Francis D. Tandy Company, 1894. The world is agreed that labor is the source from which human wants are mainly supplied. There is no dispute upon this point. From this point, however, men immediately diverge. Much disputation is maintained as to the best way of applying and controlling the labor element. By some it is assumed that labor is available only in connection with capital – that nobody labors, unless somebody else owning capital, somehow, by the use of it, induces him to do it. Having assumed this, they proceed to consider whether it is best that capital shall hire laborers, and thus induce them to work by their [p. 248] own consent, or buy them, and drive them to it, without their consent. Having proceeded so far, they naturally conclude that all laborers are naturally either hired laborers or slaves. They further assume that whoever is once a hired laborer, is fatally fixed in that condition for life; and thence again, that his condition is as bad as, or worse than, that of a slave. This is the "mud-sill" theory. But another class of reasoners hold the opinion that there is no such relation between capital and labor as assumed; that there is no such thing as a free man being fatally fixed for life in the condition of a hired laborer; that both these assumptions are false, and all inferences from them groundless. They hold that labor is prior to, and independent of, capital; that, in fact, capital is the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed; that labor can exist without capital, but that capital could never have existed without labor. Hence they hold that labor is the superior – greatly the superior – of capital. They do not deny that there is, and probably always will be, a relation between labor and capital. The error, as they hold, is in assuming that the whole labor of the world exists within that relation. A few men own capital; and that few avoid labor themselves, and with [p. 249] their capital hire or buy another few to labor for them. A large majority belong to neither class – neither work for others, nor have others working for them. Even in all our slave States except South Carolina, a majority of the whole people of all colors are neither slaves nor masters. In these free States, a large majority are neither hirers nor hired. Men, with their families – wives, sons and daughters – work for themselves, on their farms, in their houses, and in their shops, taking the whole product to themselves, and asking no favors of capital on the one hand, nor of hirelings or slaves on the other. It is not forgotten that a considerable number of persons mingle their own labor with capital – that is, labor with their own hands and also buy slaves or hire free men to labor for them; but this is only a mixed, and not a distinct, class. No principle stated is disturbed by the existence of this mixed class. Again, as has already been said, the opponents of the "mud-sill" theory insist that there is not, of necessity, any such thing as the free hired laborer being fixed to that condition for life. There is demonstration for saying this. Many independent men in this assembly doubtless a few years ago were hired laborers. And their case is almost, if not quite, the general rule. The prudent, penniless beginner in the world [p. 250] labors for wages awhile, saves a surplus with which to buy tools or land for himself, then labors on his own account another while, and at length hires another new beginner to help him. This, say its advocates, is free labor – the just, and generous, and prosperous system, which opens the way for all, gives hope to all, and energy, and progress, and improvement of condition to all. If any continue through life in the condition of the hired laborer, it is not the fault of the system, but because of either a dependent nature which prefers it, or improvidence, folly, or singular misfortune. I have said this much about the elements of labor generally, as introductory to the consideration of a new phase which that element is in process of assuming. The old general rule was that educated people did not perform manual labor. They managed to eat their bread, leaving the toil of producing it to the uneducated. This was not an insupportable evil to the working bees, so long as the class of drones remained very small. But now, especially in these free States, nearly all are educated – quite too nearly all to leave the labor of the uneducated in any wise adequate to the support of the whole. It follows from this that henceforth educated people must labor.

Answer 1

How and why did Southern and Northern white people differ over slavery?

1. The difference between the way slavery was handled in the south and the way it was handled in the north differed in many ways - mainly owing to the resources and utilization of it to make capital.
2. The north did not need slavery as much as the south to keep the economy going. They were not as dependent on the slaves to do manual labor in order to make money. North had enough development that required skilled labor and not just manual labor.
3. South required hard manual labor and not skilled labor in order to work in the plantations. This was something that directly affected their economy (or) capital.
4. Nature of work that the slaves were being employed in was the major difference between north and south. Northerners required household or maintenance help whereas Southerners required help on farms and plantations. In spite of all this, the brutality and the gruesome punishments for any mistakes were strong in both the north and the south.
5. Race - This was another major factor where there were differences. The race of the slaves mattered much to the northerners. They were not happy but were rather threatened by the presence of the number of African slaves. Whereas the southerners were glad to accept any number of slaves irrespective of the race, the punishments meted out, were more gruesome towards the black population.

On what did white people of both regions agree and disagree about race and slavery?

1. The northerners did not accept the other races as slaves. The southerners had the largest population of slaves that included people from various races.
2. The northerners did not welcome other religious practices - This goes hand in hand with race. The southerners though had to accept the different religions that people were practicing in their homeland. Though, over time - this would slowly eradicate until Christianity became the norm.
3. The northerners went onto claim that slavery must be eradicated. This did not go very well with the southerners whose economy depended upon slavery.
4. Not all northerners wanted slavery out and not all southerners wanted slavery to continue. There were disagreements based on morals and capital generation.
5. One common thing in agreement among both - The punishments meted out to the slaves was equally gruesome in both the north and the south. Though there have been claims of the north being more 'soft' to the slaves, not enough evidence is available to attest to this claim.

Explain why Northern whites who opposed slavery and Southern whites who supported slavery both believed they were fighting to defend liberty.

The northerners believed that owning people and ordering them around constituted to the lack of liberty. This was proclaimed by the northerners as the poster for abolishing slavery. Though they had ulterior motives, where they wanted to be in a better position compared to the south. The work of the slaves in the south had started improving the economy of the south and the northerners wanted to put an end to it. This was their chance to defend liberty and get the slaves out of the south. The southerners believed that the slaves in the north were treated poorly whereas the ones in the south were treated like family. This led them to believe that better working conditions and a better social life, such as family and friends constituted liberty. The southerners believed they were fighting for liberty, this way. In spite of all this, Lincoln's claim was that either all slaves be freed or none be freed. The northerners and the southerners wanted to retain slaves but in varying counts. In spite of their shouts for liberty, in reality, neither of them wanted the slaves completely out.