SLAVERY AND THE AMERICAN REUNIFICATION (1854 – 1865)

Abstract

This present dissertation covers the period of the nineteenth century, especially the hot period from 1854 to 1865, the time when the American nation was preoccupied with the divisive issue of Slavery. In fact, the mid nineteenth century found the U.S. trapped in a fierce debate over the thorny issue that had direct implications for the American nation’s fate; abolitionist movements supported by a political presence led the charge against the institution of Slavery, mostly set up in the South for economic reasons. As a matter of fact, Slavery was overthrown after a bloody civil war and the death of over 600,000 Americans. The awful price paid to crush Slavery shows how deep rooted was the disease of Slavery within the American society. However, as abolishing Slavery had been the cause of the North South conflict, it had also been the means that prevented the American territorial division.