When the U.S. Constitution was written in 1787, however, the interests of slaveholders and those who profited from slavery could not be ignored. Although slaves could not vote, white Southerners argued that slave labor contributed greatly to the nation's wealth. The Constitution therefore gave representation in the Congress and the electoral college for 3/5ths of every slave (the 3/5ths clause). The clause gave the South a role in the national government far greater than representation based on its free population alone would have given it. The Constitution also provided for a fugitive slave law and made 1807 the earliest year that Congress could act to end the importation of slaves from Africa.
The Constitution left many questions about slavery unanswered, in particular, the question of slavery's status in any new territory acquired by the U.S. The failure to deal forthrightly and comprehensively with slavery in the Constitution guaranteed future conflict over the issue. All realistic hope that slavery might eventually die out in the South ended when world demand for cotton exploded in the early 1800s. By 1840, cotton produced in the American South earned more money than all other U.S. exports combined. White Southerners came to believe that cotton could be grown on with slave labor. Over time, many took for granted that their prosperity, even their way of life, was inseparable from Africa slavery.
For more than 80 years, people in the Northern and Southern states had been debating the issues that ultimately led to war: economic policies and practices, cultural values, the extent and reach of the Federal government, and, most importantly, the role of slavery within American society.Pivotal Moments in Enslavement, Abolition, and Emancipation
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- Boston African American National Historic Site
John Sweat Rock
- Type: Person
- Locations: Boston African American National Historic Site
As a doctor, lecturer, military recruiter, and lawyer, John S. Rock served Boston's Black community and was the first Black man admitted to the Supreme Court Bar.
- Type: Person
In his journey from captive slave to internationally renowned activist, Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) has been a source of inspiration and hope for millions. His brilliant words and brave actions continue to shape the ways that we think about race, democracy, and the meaning of freedom.
- Type: Person
Sojourner Truth was born Isabella Baumfree in 1797 in Ulster County, New York, the daughter of James and Elizabeth Baumfree. Born enslaved, she remained the property of others until she freed herself in 1826. After a religious epiphany in 1843, she changed her name to Sojourner Truth and traveled the country advocating for African American and women's rights.
- Type: Article
- Locations: Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
- Offices: Cultural Resources, Region 1: National Capital Region, Resource Stewardship & Science - Region 1 NCA
The story of Frederick Douglass begins with a photograph. The power that photography would have in his life would be coupled with his powerful rhetoric for freedom and equality for all.
- Type: Person
The Amistad Committee (the Committee) was founded in 1839 by Lewis Tappan, Simeon Joceyln, and Joshua Leavitt. They organized the legal defense and raised money for the Mende Africans during their imprisonment.
- Type: Article
- Locations: Antietam National Battlefield, Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, more »
- Offices: Cultural Resources Office of Interpretation and Education, Region 1: National Capital Region, Resource Stewardship & Science - Region 1 NCA
The legacy of Reconstruction is filled with triumph and trials, gains and losses. Though the era resulted in the dawn of the Jim Crow era, it did see a rise in Black political and social representation and power. Read more about the Reconstruction era in this timeline following the history of civil rights in America.
- Type: Article
- Locations: Antietam National Battlefield, Camp Nelson National Monument, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Reconstruction Era National Historical Park
Learn about the development of Black post-emancipation schools in the South as part of the legacy of Black communities’ dedication and commitment to ensuring civil rights. Ten case studies highlight Reconstruction Era education stories and sites in and around national parks.
- Type: Article
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in slaveholding lands. In 1980, Juneteenth became an official state holiday in Texas and has since been adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia.
- Type: Article
- Offices: Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, Network to Freedom
The Great Dismal Swamp, a vast mire spanning 113,000 acres across northern North Carolina and southern Virginia, was not a pleasant place to call home, but for those enslaved in the region prior to the Civil War, the swamp promised both a better life and safety from those seeking to return them to slavery. Dismal Swamp maroons launched multiple highly organized attempts to dismantle slavery. One man, Tom Copper, became infamous for his vast operation within the Dismal Swamp.
- Type: Article
- Locations: Antietam National Battlefield, Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, Booker T Washington National Monument, Cane River Creole National Historical Park, Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, more »
Although the abolition of slavery emerged as a dominant objective of the Union war effort, most Northerners embraced abolition as a practical measure rather than a moral cause. The war resolved legally and constitutionally the single most important moral question that afflicted the nascent republic, an issue that prevented the country from coalescing around a shared vision of freedom, equality, morality, and nationhood.
Last updated: April 7, 2016