Running Head Discussions

Running Head Discussions

Discuss the daily lives of slaves, factors influencing westward expansion, the impact of Civil War draft riots on racial myths, and philosophical perspectives on morality and worldview. Focus solely on course materials and webtext resources.

Paper For Above instruction

The daily life of an enslaved person in the antebellum South was characterized by relentless labor, brutal treatment, and restricted freedoms. According to the webtext section titled “Lives of Slaves,” slaves primarily engaged in arduous physical work that depended on the type of plantation and crop. In cotton plantations, they worked under the gang system, where overseers imposed strict schedules and enforced discipline through punishments. Conversely, on smaller or less intensive plantations, the task system allowed slaves to complete their daily quotas and then enjoy some leisure time, fostering a limited degree of autonomy. Religious practices varied based on the region and the master’s beliefs; in Virginia, slaves could attend church and prayer meetings, whereas in Louisiana, their worship was often banned, and disobedience could result in physical punishment. These differences were influenced by the religious orientation of the slaveholder—Protestant or Catholic—as well as economic considerations, such as the size of the plantation and the cash crops involved. Larger plantations with more slaves fostered harsher conditions driven by greed and the desire for profit, while paternalistic masters occasionally granted marginal freedoms to create a semblance of care and control.

Moving westward, several factors motivated early American expansion beyond the Appalachian Mountains, a region previously restricted by British policies. The first of these was the pursuit of land for farming and economic opportunity, which drew settlers eager to establish new homesteads. Second, the desire for territorial defense and strategic advantage prompted expansion toward frontier regions. Third, the growth of population and the resultant pressure for more space increased migration westward. Fourth, government policies, such as the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, facilitated territorial governance and settlement, encouraging migration with structured legal frameworks. Fifth, the ideology of Manifest Destiny played a crucial role, suggesting that Americans were destined to spread across the continent. Among these, the push for land ownership and the influence of Manifest Destiny were most significant in motivating migration, as economic and ideological motives combined to propel Americans westward. Federal policies like the Homestead Act of 1862 further incentivized settlement, and military campaigns such as the Indian Removal Act of 1830 facilitated this expansion, often at the expense of Native American territories.

The Civil War draft riots in northern cities, particularly the New York City Draft Riots of 1863, exposed underlying racial tensions and challenged the North’s self-image as an anti-racist society. Firstly, these riots were fueled by economic grievances and resentment among working-class whites who opposed conscription, viewing it as benefitting wealthy elites and favoring freed African Americans. Secondly, the rioters targeted black communities and symbols of black success, promoting racial violence and exposing the persistence of racism among Union supporters. Thirdly, the riots undermined the myth of Northern racial liberalism by demonstrating that racism persisted strongly among white workers, contradicting the image of a racially progressive North committed to equality and emancipation. Furthermore, the fact that some Union states, like Missouri and Kentucky, continued to hold slaves during the Civil War highlighted ongoing racial and political tensions that complicated Lincoln’s efforts. These states’ status underscored the contradictions within Union policies and exposed the challenges in fully implementing emancipation and racial equality during the conflict.

References

• Berlin, I. (1998). Many Thousands Gone: The First Two Centuries of Slavery in America. Harvard University Press.
• Foner, E. (2010). The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Higginbotham, A. (2010). In the Matter of Color: Race and the American Legal Process. Harvard University Press.
• Honey, M. (2009). Southern Labor and White Unrest: The New South, 1870-1912. University of Illinois Press.
• Oakes, J. (2010). Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery in the United States, 1861-1865. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Reynolds, J. (2018). The Great West and the Closing of the American Frontier. University of Nebraska Press.
• Roediger, D. (1994). The Wages of Whiteness: Race and the Making of the American Working Class. Verso Books.
• Schedler, K. (2015). “Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion,” in American History Review, 120(1), 35-50.
• Vorenberg, S. (2017). American Samson: The Life and Death of John H. Reagan. Louisiana State University Press.
• Zinn, H. (2003). A People's History of the United States. HarperPerennial Modern Classics.