Anti-Slavery and Pro-Slavery Events That Were Impactful

During the group presentations, there were many events in history mentioned that conveyed pro-slavery as well as anti-slavery. To begin with, one of the must impactful events for pro-slavery was the invention of the cotton gin. I had no idea how much of a change the invention by Eli Whitney had made to the economy as well as the amount of cotton. In 1783, there was a total of 188,000 lbs of cotton and within only 20 years that number multiplied to 93 million lbs. Another event includes the Kansas-Nebraska Act 1854 which was a significant event leading to the Civil War. This act made it possible for the Nebraska and Kansas territories to allow slavery. This act was a repeal of the Missouri Compromise and caused controversy among the pro and anti-slavery supporters. Lastly, the Fugitive Slave Law allowed slave owners to reclaim their slaves if they ran away. People that participated in the escape and hospitality of runaway slaves were condemned to the death penalty. Those who found and returned slaves, were given a bonus. Many people took captured blacks from the north and claimed that they were runaway slaves just to earn money.

Group Derek talks about the anti-slavery event Harper's Ferry

In contrary, there were also many events that are significant in terms of the rebellion of slavery. For example, the Underground Railroad made it possible for over 100,000 slaves to escape during this event. With the help of Harriet Tubman, she was able to help about 300 people escape from slavery. Even though the numbers of escapees does not equate to the millions of African Americans that were enslaved, it was an event that is significant to the progression of ending slavery. Another important event was the published book "Uncle Tom's Cabin" written by Harriet Breecher Stowe. This book raised a lot of awareness about the cruelty of slavery and was able to sell about 300,000 copies in the United States. It is known to have "started a way" because of the controversies that society faced after the release of the book. In addition, the event the Wilmot Proviso bill was an attempt to prohibit slavery in the territories acquired by Mexico in the Mexican-American War. Although the bill was not passed, it was another event that fuel controversy. The following two events were violent acts of protesting which resulted in many deaths and imprisonments. During the 1850s, Harper's Ferry was raided by abolitionists in attempt to capture weapons to free slaves. The participating abolitionists were captured and some put to death. Another revolt was the Nat Turner Rebellion in which violence was used to fight against slave owners. This revolt was one of the most deadly revolts and resulted in many deaths. Even though, it demonstrated bravery and resistance within slaves, it was not worth the deaths of both slaves and abolitionists.