Unfortunately, the issue of slavery brought up sectionalism between the northern and southern states. Many southerners put a great deal of slaves to work upon their plantations so the slave owners could still have a normal life. At that time, the white slave owners made all of their money off the slaves working the plantations. Due to the southerners’ belief of superiority over the slaves, many of the owners became covetous and lazy. Our nation’s greed for money and land was added upon after the north had finally abolished slavery. With this, many slaves tried to escape their plantations for a better life in the north. These actions caused a great divide in relations between the north and south. Divided be the north and south, yet the south still started to expand into the new lands. This expansion causes more conflicts and problems with Texas and Cuba. The south’s want to be the best nation became their solo concern for themselves which brought the nation into the Civil War. Through sectionalism, the south became more independent and gluttonous.
The south had a great amount of need and greed which came through the evils of slavery. Southern planters got more slaves to make more money and cause more problems on their farming plantations. With an increase in greed for money and profit, it increased slavery and the cruelty that came with it. Also, money and slaves increased thanks to Eli Whitney’s cotton gin. Mr. Whitney’s gin made it so one slave can do the work of four slaves. Such an increase in the production of cotton eventually increased the demand of slaves needed to work the fields. Eli Whitney’s cotton gin not only increased money, it also increased the slave owners’ laziness. Now the slaves are working harder and longer hours earning the slave owners more money with less effort that before. Slavery also expanded through territorial expansion.
After over slaving the lands of the south, slavery moved west to new fertile lands. The annexation of Texas added lost of new lands with open trade markets for the southern farmers and slave owners. With this territorial expansion, the farmers will be able to get more land and over work their slaves even more. But, slavery wasn’t the only thing giving with the annexation of Texas, greed was. Greed and slavery expanded through the manifest destiny ideal. Manifest destiny is and idea saying we should take the land of others so we can help “better” them and spread our democracy. All the nation really did was steal the Mexicans’ lands and enslave the people living there as well. Our greed also led to the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo helping the nation purchase all of the remaining lands from Mexico. Our greed for land and for our own personal gain brought about slavery and the expansion of it. Our greed caused the Civil War and the horrible events that came from it.
Expansion of slavery destroyed the union of our nation and broke up the human relations between different races. Slavery will live to haunt us the rest of our lives. Thanks to the lazy, greedy, needy, white slave owners, slavery is still here today and is felt through sectionalism and racism.
