Roots of the American Civil War begin in 1619 when some Jamestown, Virginia residents buy twenty Africans.
Secession or Attack on Fort Sumter?
If you ask when the American Civil War, also called the War Between the States, began, many folks may say that the whole thing started back on December 20, 1860, when South Carolina became the first of eleven Southern states to leave the Union. Others may tell you that the war began in April of 1861, when Fort Sumter, situated in the Charleston harbor in South Carolina, was shelled by Confederate forces, under General Pierre P. T. Beauregard.
The Beginning of American Slavery
Both are good reference points, however the Civil War can be said to have its roots sunk much deeper in American history than either of these two events.
Much of the original trouble began as early as 1619, when some Jamestown, Virginia settlers purchased twenty black Africans from a Dutch frigate. These first Africans may have been treated as indentured servants but it was not long before they, and their children after them, were considered slaves for life. During this time, most of the Africans held in bondage resided in the Southern colonies, but many thousands were also held by Northerners.
All Men are Created Equal
By 1776, slavery in America was in the full swing of buying and selling. It was that year that the Declaration of Independence, largely written by slave-owner Thomas Jefferson and adopted on July 4, stated that all men were created equal. The founding fathers, many who owned slaves, surely meant well but it does make you wonder if the real or imagined statement made by Native Americans that white men speak with forked tongues had some truth to it. However, between 1780 and 1804, in the North various laws were made to abolish slavery. At the same time, slavery continued to be legal in the South and nearly necessary to the South's economical survival.
The issue of slavery really showed its bitter head in 1787 when a new federal constitution for the United States was drawn up. On the subject of slavery several Southern states refused to join in any union if slavery was not allowed. So rather than have a national break up, the Northern delegates buckled under Southern demands. The new constitution allowed for fugitive slaves to be returned to their owners. It gave the cutoff date of 1808 as the final year that new slaves could be imported into the United States. For the purpose of apportioning congressional representatives on the basis of a state's population, the new constitution allowed that a slave was to be counted as 3/5 of a white person.
No Slavery in the Territories
During this same time period, Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance. A part of this ordinance disallowed slavery in the territories. At the time, this was assumed to mean the area of land that would be subdivided into the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois Michigan and Wisconsin. This assumption turned out to be the fuel, in the next century, for the fire that erupted when Kansas and Nebraska were made territories that were looking towards statehood.
Legal Slave Importation Ends
Finally 1808 rolled around and the importation of new slaves into the United States was now illegal. However, slaves could still be bought and sold within the country. And the new rule did not halt the importation of Africans for slavery purposes. In fact, when smuggled slaves were apprehended they were turned over to the state authorities. They were then sold into slavery by the state that held them. The new law may have slowed down the importation of illegal slaves but the most it did was to put pennies into the state coffers instead of the pockets of individual lawbreaker.
Sources:
Bowman, John S., Executive Editor. The Civil War Almanac. Bison Books, 1983.
