What does the US Civil War suggest about Americans' view of human equality in the 1860's?

Answer 1

The US Civil War reflected the views of Americans on human equality that was varied. During the war, the American view of human equality can be summarized as follows:

* Many Americans in the North believed that slavery was wrong. These views were moderated by the fact that slavery had existed in the Western Hemisphere since the 16th century;

* While citizens in the North did not approve of slavery, many did not want to see slavery extended to the US's western frontiers;

* Many Northerners, while opposed to slavery, believed in white supremacy. This did not mean white supremacy called for the misstreatment of minority groups, it was recognized by these people that slaves were not equal to American whites;

* Many Americans were not going to join the Union's army, and risk their lives to help end slavery;

* Most Americans entered the civil war for patriotic reasons. They wanted a unified nation, and if slavery would be a part of a unified nation, so be it;

* President Abraham Lincoln stated early in the war that if unification of the states meant that slavery would exist for some years in the future, he would work out the slavery issue once the Southern rebellion was ended;

* A small percentage of Northerrners were called abolititionists. They wanted slavery to end immediately, no matter what the social or economic results would be;

* Abolotitionism began as a movement early in the 19th century;

* Among the abolitionists, there is no consensus on the percentage of this group who believed in equality for or peoples;

* Abolotistionists and anti- slavery people disagreed on how freed slaves should be intergrated into US society. Some, like President Lincoln, believed that freed slaves be deported to either West Africa or a place in Central America;

* Some of these people pushed for Black colonization for two reasons. One group believed that America would be better off without Freed Slaves, others sought colonization as they believed that Blacks would be misstreated in white America;

* In the South, slavery was the driving force of their agrarian economy. They favored a "slave" society and believed in white supremacy;

* Under US law, the US Supreme Court had ruked that slavery was legal within the US Constitution.

In summary, the views of human equality were varied in US society. Citizens had been born into a slave society.

Also, as with Native Tribes, Black slaves were considered less than equal to white people.

Answer 2

Not many people believed in 'human equality'. But Lincoln believed in equal rights to the bread earned by your labours.