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Frederick Douglass And The Civil War

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Frederick Douglass was many things; a man, an orator, a writer, an avid abolitionist, a presidential advisor and a slave. Douglass lived the majority of his life as a free man after escaping his bondage at age 20. However, everything he did and accomplished over the course of his life was influenced and affected by his past as a slave. Just as slavery shaped Douglass’s existence, the politics of the 19th century would not escape the pressure of the debate over slavery. From the American Revolution to the Civil War, slavery embedded itself into the Southern economy and culture to the point where the argument over its expansion would necessitate complex political workarounds, and break up the national political parties of the last few decades down sectional lines. Slavery had always been a part of American politics, as early as the Declaration of Independence there was discussion of slavery. The clause in question was the one condemning King George for the slave trade, yet was removed before the final draft as the framers recognized the hypocrisy of such an act. Nevertheless, up until the 19th century, most people, at least in the North, believed that slavery would die out naturally, so there wasn’t much political focus on actively fighting it. Tobacco and other cash crops were becoming less and less profitable as time went on and most thought slavery would fall to the wayside as they did. Then Eli Whitney perfected the cotton gin and to the throne ascended King

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