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One of the reasons given by Thomas Jefferson for the separation from Great Britain was a desire to rid America of the evil of slavery imposed on them by the Bri

One of the reasons given by Thomas Jefferson for the separation from Great Britain was a desire to rid America of the evil of slavery imposed on them by the British. And yet Great Britain managed to abolish slavery three decades before it was abolished in the US.

cpursley 13y ago
Yep. And most other countries - with little bloodshed.
- ctdonath 13y ago
  Given sufficient time, would have gone away here too without a fight. Alas, slavery was just one factor in a confluence of issues leading to a bloody civil war. Popular historical depictions aside, the US Civil War wasn't just about slavery.
  - Avshalom 13y ago
    "Popular historical depictions" including such post hoc media portrayals as letters of secession stating "this is totally just about slavery"
  - scarmig 13y ago
    South Carolina Declaration of Secession [1]: The people of the State of South Carolina, in Convention assembled, on the 26th day of April, A.D. 1852, declared that the frequent violations of the Constitution of the United States, by the Federal Government, and its encroachments upon the reserved rights of the States, fully justified this State in then withdrawing from the Federal Union; but in deference to the opinions and wishes of the other slaveholding States, she forbore at that time to exercise this right. Since that time, these encroachments have continued to increase, and further forbearance ceases to be a virtue... The General Government, as the common agent, passed laws to carry into effect these stipulations of the States. For many years these laws were executed. But an increasing hostility on the part of the non-slaveholding States to the institution of slavery, has led to a disregard of their obligations, and the laws of the General Government have ceased to effect the objects of the Constitution. The States of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa, have enacted laws which either nullify the Acts of Congress or render useless any attempt to execute them. In many of these States the fugitive is discharged from service or labor claimed, and in none of them has the State Government complied with the stipulation made in the Constitution. The State of New Jersey, at an early day, passed a law in conformity with her constitutional obligation; but the current of anti-slavery feeling has led her more recently to enact laws which render inoperative the remedies provided by her own law and by the laws of Congress. In the State of New York even the right of transit for a slave has been denied by her tribunals; and the States of Ohio and Iowa have refused to surrender to justice fugitives charged with murder, and with inciting servile insurrection in the State of Virginia. Thus the constituted compact has been deliberately broken and disregarded by the non-slaveholding States, and the consequence follows that South Carolina is released from her obligation... We affirm that these ends for which this Government was instituted have been defeated, and the Government itself has been made destructive of them by the action of the non-slaveholding States. Those States have assume the right of deciding upon the propriety of our domestic institutions; and have denied the rights of property established in fifteen of the States and recognized by the Constitution; they have denounced as sinful the institution of slavery; they have permitted open establishment among them of societies, whose avowed object is to disturb the peace and to eloign the property of the citizens of other States. They have encouraged and assisted thousands of our slaves to leave their homes; and those who remain, have been incited by emissaries, books and pictures to servile insurrection... [1] http://www.civil-war.net/pages/southcarolina_declaration.asp http://www.civil-war.net/pages/southcarolina_declaration.asp
angersock 13y ago
And they did such a wonderful job with the home-bred hordes in South Asia and the Middle East! EDIT: For the curious, am referencing "Arithmetic on the Frontier" by Kipling ( http://www.gutenberg.org/files/7846/7846-h/7846-h.htm#link2H_4_0025 http://www.gutenberg.org/files/7846/7846-h/7846-h.htm#link2H... ).
gohrt 13y ago
1. 30 years as basically 0 on a historical time scale. In the 19th Century, Sending a letter from Europe to the US took weeks. 2. The US is comprised many states, and Federal power was weaker than. Some states banned slavery earlier. 3. Slavery was hugely economically impactful in North America. Once USA left the British Empire, slavery became less relevant, and pushing for worldwide abolishing of slavery may even have been economically strategic against USA competition.
philwelch 13y ago
Why bother subjugating people overseas and taking them to your home country when you can conquer entire subcontinents and subjugate them right in their homelands?

cpursley 13y ago

Yep. And most other countries - with little bloodshed.

ctdonath 13y ago
Given sufficient time, would have gone away here too without a fight. Alas, slavery was just one factor in a confluence of issues leading to a bloody civil war. Popular historical depictions aside, the US Civil War wasn't just about slavery.
- Avshalom 13y ago
  "Popular historical depictions" including such post hoc media portrayals as letters of secession stating "this is totally just about slavery"
- scarmig 13y ago
  South Carolina Declaration of Secession [1]: The people of the State of South Carolina, in Convention assembled, on the 26th day of April, A.D. 1852, declared that the frequent violations of the Constitution of the United States, by the Federal Government, and its encroachments upon the reserved rights of the States, fully justified this State in then withdrawing from the Federal Union; but in deference to the opinions and wishes of the other slaveholding States, she forbore at that time to exercise this right. Since that time, these encroachments have continued to increase, and further forbearance ceases to be a virtue... The General Government, as the common agent, passed laws to carry into effect these stipulations of the States. For many years these laws were executed. But an increasing hostility on the part of the non-slaveholding States to the institution of slavery, has led to a disregard of their obligations, and the laws of the General Government have ceased to effect the objects of the Constitution. The States of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa, have enacted laws which either nullify the Acts of Congress or render useless any attempt to execute them. In many of these States the fugitive is discharged from service or labor claimed, and in none of them has the State Government complied with the stipulation made in the Constitution. The State of New Jersey, at an early day, passed a law in conformity with her constitutional obligation; but the current of anti-slavery feeling has led her more recently to enact laws which render inoperative the remedies provided by her own law and by the laws of Congress. In the State of New York even the right of transit for a slave has been denied by her tribunals; and the States of Ohio and Iowa have refused to surrender to justice fugitives charged with murder, and with inciting servile insurrection in the State of Virginia. Thus the constituted compact has been deliberately broken and disregarded by the non-slaveholding States, and the consequence follows that South Carolina is released from her obligation... We affirm that these ends for which this Government was instituted have been defeated, and the Government itself has been made destructive of them by the action of the non-slaveholding States. Those States have assume the right of deciding upon the propriety of our domestic institutions; and have denied the rights of property established in fifteen of the States and recognized by the Constitution; they have denounced as sinful the institution of slavery; they have permitted open establishment among them of societies, whose avowed object is to disturb the peace and to eloign the property of the citizens of other States. They have encouraged and assisted thousands of our slaves to leave their homes; and those who remain, have been incited by emissaries, books and pictures to servile insurrection... [1] http://www.civil-war.net/pages/southcarolina_declaration.asp http://www.civil-war.net/pages/southcarolina_declaration.asp

angersock 13y ago

And they did such a wonderful job with the home-bred hordes in South Asia and the Middle East! EDIT: For the curious, am referencing "Arithmetic on the Frontier" by Kipling ( http://www.gutenberg.org/files/7846/7846-h/7846-h.htm#link2H_4_0025 http://www.gutenberg.org/files/7846/7846-h/7846-h.htm#link2H... ).

gohrt 13y ago

1. 30 years as basically 0 on a historical time scale. In the 19th Century, Sending a letter from Europe to the US took weeks. 2. The US is comprised many states, and Federal power was weaker than. Some states banned slavery earlier. 3. Slavery was hugely economically impactful in North America. Once USA left the British Empire, slavery became less relevant, and pushing for worldwide abolishing of slavery may even have been economically strategic against USA competition.

philwelch 13y ago

Why bother subjugating people overseas and taking them to your home country when you can conquer entire subcontinents and subjugate them right in their homelands?