The Shattering of the Union - Book Review Essay Sample

The Anti-slavery together with free soil ideologists never believed in the expansion of slavery. They both believed that slavery was a wrong thing that had no benefit. Anti-slavery are the individuals, group, parties or organizations that were involved in opposing or rejecting the system of slavery. According to Walther (2003), the anti-slavery acted and carried out their activities to fight the slavery that existed. The individuals who believed in the ideology of anti-slavery fought against slavery because they never wanted it to expand to the extent of reaching the Northern Territories. In fact, these people believed that the act of slavery was useless as it was just punishing other human beings. The anti-slavery viewed slavery as an immoral act. The free soil ideology was a particular idea that argued that use of free labor was a lot effective as well as better than using slave labor. Hence, free soil ideology intended to prevent slavery from spreading to other territories which it had not reached. Some of the Free Soil Parties, therefore, worked objectively to ensure that there was no extension of slavery. The free soil ideology thus prevented the act of slavery from spreading or expanding to the south.

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Some of the events that illustrate the Anti-slavery as well as Free soil ideology include the writing of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. The Act involved catching the runaway slave and reporting it to the relevant authorities. Besides, Charles Sumner who was in many slavery debates challenged the southern people by proving to them that they were unwilling to engage in the fight of slavery by been slave-hunters. Such debated caused civil war. The anti-slavery and the free soil ideologist divided into proslavery and the anti-slavery and engaged in some argument and debates that. The arguments caused some political as well as economic sources of civil war.

According to Walther (2003), the northern people believed that there was a conspiracy when the act of slavery increased in the North. People could have power regarding the number of salves they had, and some get a chance of representing the southern at the national level. For instance, 2.5% of the slaveholders or slave owners who had more than 50 slaves started to have power to the extent that they believed that they had the control of the economy as well as politics of the southern. Hence, there was massive slaveholder domination. Some of the slave owners who had managed to gain political power started to take more of it from the government.

Many events illustrate slave power conspiracy from "The Shattering of the Union". For instance, William Yancey writing a letter to William Garrison had a lot of effect as he was the liberator. Besides, Yancey published a report on how to organize safety in the cotton nation. The publication caused a lot of commotion and made many to believe that there were a lot of conspiracies that existed. The Kansas- Nebraska Act raised a lot of concern about slavery in the political arena. The increased conspiracies were thought to be a source of country's destruction. A lot of concern was raised by the northern as they had no trust in the politics anymore. They the house of representative or Senate, as well as the Supreme Court together with other branches of the government, had a lot of conspiracies which made them doubt their future. It caused a lot of disagreement and conflict of interest resulting from the Civil War.

The south experienced a lot of positive economic impact from slavery hence; they were obsessed with expanding it. The slaves were taken as assets of production or as financial assets used by the American economy. Hence, losing the slaves was equal to weakening their economic stronghold. Besides, the slave states were small in size and the slave markets on them were so small. Therefore, these slave states wanted a new market, thus they were pushing for the expansion. According to Walther (2003), the southern economy witnessed a lot of benefit from the slaves and slave trade hence; they wanted to keep their economy successful. The business of slavery also lead to the formation of more senators or member of the house of representative hence; the southern could not let it come to an end.

Various events illustrate the south's Obsessive need to expand the slave trade. The Kansas Nebraska Act led to a lot of questions about slavery, especially in the areas where a decision had been made. For instance, some territories like Kansas together with Nebraska were established free regions where slavery was not allowed. The Kansas Nebraska Act brought the issue again claiming that the people in these territories were to make their own decision on whether to adopt slavery or not based on the popular sovereignty. The Kansas Nebraska Act led to the decision of starting slavery in some parts of Kansas and Nebraska. Hence, there was slave expansion which demanded additional territories and states. It was as a result of the decision of the two regions to be Free State or not. It causes unbalanced power as the nations made their choices. The increased tension resulted in the Civil War.

Works Cited

Walther, Eric H. The Shattering of the Union: America in the 1850s. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2003.