Slavery in the Nineteenth Century

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Slavery in the Nineteenth Century Questions and Answers

What are some of the main points of "On the Slavery Question" by John C. Calhou?

Why did Southerners support slavery if they didn't own slaves?  

What did John C. Calhoun mean when he said slavery was a "positive good"?

From 1775 to 1830, how did slavery expand despite many African Americans gaining freedom, and how did they respond to challenges?

Why did Harriet Tubman want to help slaves run away?  

Popular Sovereignty Significance

Is John Brown a hero or villain? Why?

How did the Free Soil movement contribute to the Civil War?

What were the causes of the Stono Rebellion?

Wilmot Proviso Significance

What were the social differences between the North and the South?

How did John Brown's raid at Harpers Ferry affect the outcome of the Civil War?

What were the benefits of the African slave trade?

In the 1850s, why did Harriet Tubman feel compelled to escort her escaped slaves all the way to St. Catherines? Why, for example, didn’t she stop in Albany?    

Why did the institution of slavery expand from 1775 to 1830?

What were James Henry Hammond's views on slavery?

Compare the attitudes towards slavery of the American Colonization Society and the American Anti-Slavery Society.

Compare and contrast slave experiences in the upper South versus the lower South.

Was the southern economy dependent on slavery?

Who was the intended audience of nineteenth-century slave narratives?

Humanitarian reasons, rather than just economic reasons, attributed to the abolition of the Atlantic Slave Trade. What are the major points that support this?

What were three instruments used to punish slaves in the nineteenth century?

How did actions of Denmark Vesey, Nat Turner, David Walker, and the enslaved aboard the Amistad and Creole impact the country?

What was the major impact of the abolitionist movement?

What are some similarities in the achievements of Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X? 

How does Jourdan Anderson define freedom in his letter to his former master?

What is the theme of Henry Highland Garnet's "Address to the Slaves of the United States of America"?

What challenges did slaves face between 1775 and 1830?

How and why did plantation crops and the slavery system change between 1800 and 1860?

What is the significance of John C. Calhoun in nineteenth-century slavery?

Was the slavery conflict more about differing economic systems or morality? Which congressional action pushed the nation toward civil war most?

Were slaves in the North treated better than those in the South?

Who was Nat Turner and why was his role significant in the resistance?

Why didn't the slaves revolt in the Nineteenth Century?

Why was slavery detrimental to slaves in the nineteenth century?

What was the main goal of the Free Soil Party?

What role did religion play in the revolts of Nat Turner and Denmark Vesey?

Why did the signatories of the Petition of Black Residents of Nashville (1865) emphasize their loyalty to the Union cause?

What impact did slavery have on the economy, society, and politics of the United States in 1800–1860?

How did slaves demonstrate their opposition to slavery?

What impact did slave revolts have on attitudes toward slavery?

What role did religion, folklore, and family life play in slaves' lives?

In Ralph Waldo Emerson's speech, "The Fugitive slave Law," what did Emerson want people to do? What did he want them to be?

Explain how the federal government tried to resolve the issue of slavery in the western territories during the 1850s.

How did women's participation in the abolitionist movement raise issues of their rights and freedoms?

Compare the economic systems of the upper and lower South. Would slavery have naturally died in either region?

What are some topics that I might research about the Underground Railroad?

Why did pro-slavery southerners push for expansion in Nicaragua and Cuba in the 1850s?

What is the connection between slavery and racism?

What is your perspective on John Calhoun's argument in Slavery a Positive Good, where he defends slavery and claims it is beneficial for the country?