Question

1. Why did William Lloyd Garrison (we learned about him from the Reform Era) actually want the North to secede from the country first? Do you think we would have gotten the same impact he wanted once the South seceded? Explain.

2. During the first eighteen months of the war, what was the reason that the North stated it was continuing to attack the Confederate States?

3. What was the “practical” reason that many in the North would not let the southern states peacefully leave the union?

Answer 1

1. William Lloyd Garrison was a prominent abolitionist and believed that the institution of slavery was immoral and needed to be abolished immediately. He believed that the North should secede from the country first because it would send a strong message to the South that slavery was not acceptable and that the North was willing to take drastic measures to end it. Garrison believed that the South would not be able to survive without the economic support of the North, and that their secession would ultimately lead to the end of slavery. However, it is unclear whether or not the same impact would have been achieved if the South seceded first. The North may not have had the same level of moral authority if they were seen as abandoning the Union rather than taking a principled stand against slavery.

2. The North stated that it was continuing to attack the Confederate States during the first eighteen months of the war to preserve the Union. President Lincoln believed that secession was unconstitutional and that the Confederacy did not have the right to leave the Union. He felt that it was his duty as President to defend the Union and prevent the disintegration of the country. Additionally, the North wanted to weaken the Confederate army and economy in order to bring an end to the war and reunite the country.

3. The practical reason that many in the North would not let the southern states peacefully leave the Union was economic. The South was a major producer of agricultural goods such as cotton, tobacco, and sugar, and their economy relied heavily on the labor of enslaved Africans. If the South were to secede, it would result in the loss of a significant portion of the country's agricultural output, which would have a negative impact on the Northern economy. Additionally, the North had invested heavily in transportation infrastructure such as railroads and canals that linked the South to the rest of the country. If the South were to secede, this infrastructure would become useless and the North would lose a significant amount of money.