From Slavery to Civil War: How Tensions and Immigration Shaped Americas Divisive Past

Abstract

American History Before 1877 Introduction Slavery serves as a potential backbone of the American economy. The African Americans serve as the pioneer population that defined slavery role within the United States, which resulted in the rapid growth of this great nation’s economy. However, slavery played a significant role in fostering the American civil war. Slavery's role enhanced the sectional conflicts between the Northerners and the Southerners. Ever since time immemorial, apparent differences emerged between the South and the northern states attributed to the slavery issue. The opinion of slave ownership between the North and the South state differed immensely. These differences led to many debates on the constitutionality of slave succession and ownership. Unfortunately, the conflicts grew in size and violence, leading to a brutal war whose effects remain felt to date. Though there are many events and turning points that fostered the civil war, this essay aims at analyzing tension between Mexicans and immigrants in 1829, the influx of immigration in the mid-1840s, and the panic of 1857 as the most significant events that fostered the civil war making it inevitable. Primary event that fostered civil war and defined its inevitability To what extent did tension between Mexicans and Immigrants in 1829 foster permanent conflicts leading to civil war? In 1829, Mexico abolished slavery though the Texas stakeholders had evaded this law (Brinkley, 1993). To this effect, as a way of Mexican government expression of second thought towards the American settling, they passed a law prohibiting any new immigration, contrary to their expectation paved the way for massive immigrations within Texas. From 1830 to 1833, a population of illegal American immigrants and their slaves, almost doubling the population of Mexican Texas, migrated into Texas. Such misfortunes lead Mexico to repeal its laws in 1833 and earnestly advocated for slave abolishment in Texas. Fortunately, in 1834, the president passed legislation that took power away from states making Mexico City the sole controller of rules governing its states, including Texas. Such moves led to conflict between Santa Anna and Mexican troop/government which best explain the Southerners urge to fight for slavery legalization at any cost (A Biography of America - Annenberg Learner 2021). The Southerners continued fighting against slave abolishment as slaves served as their only source of free labor in their demanding cotton plantations. How did the influx of immigration in the mid-1840 enhance the inevitability of civil war? Mass immigration into the U.S happened in the mid-1840s, which defined the availability of labor in the growing industrial sectors. However, the wave of immigrants from 1845-1854 proved an enormous influx in American history, arousing fears of assimilation failures amongst Americans, which led to political nativism (Bigua and Rabhi Rabhi Mahlal, 2018). Nativism becomes described as a policy that promotes native interests over the immigrants within a country. With vast numbers of immigrants within America, the North decided to strengthen their population and workforce with these immigrants while the South opted for the slave force. The Northerners' move enhanced their population growth and defined control in House Representatives, which made the South, fear that the North would take over the western territories. Storage, shipping charges, insurance, port fee, and commissions added 20% to the cost of cotton and other commodities, making it impossible for the South to rely on slave force...