Slavery vs. The New Deal Slavery vs.

Slavery vs. The New Deal

Slavery vs. New Deal

Two influential events that occurred over the course of American history were slavery and the New Deal. In both situations, they were result of some kind of changes that were taking place and created tremendous amounts of debate about the legality / effectiveness of these ideas. To fully understand their impact on the nation requires comparing the two with one another. Together, these elements will offer specific insights which are highlighting how both shaped economics, politics and the basic freedoms everyone enjoys to this day. (Freidman) (Powel) (Zinn)

Slavery was considered to be a vital part of the Southern states economy. This is because a tradition had been established where large plantations were developed with this being used as a form of cheap labor. Politically, many people were divided about if this practice was considered to be legal, its morality and whether or not slaves were citizens of the United States. As time went by, these issues became even more divisive with the Northern states rapidly industrializing and many Christian groups believing that the institution itself was considered to be unethical. (Freidman) (Powel) (Zinn)

These variables caused most of the Southern states to secede from the Union after Lincoln was sworn in as President in 1861. This is because they felt that many of the anti-slavery forces were gaining dominance in political arena and was determined to end these practices at all costs. Lincoln wanted to keep the Union together and the abolition of slavery was a way of eliminating these problems for good. This resulted in armed conflict surrounding if the Southern states could maintain the status quo. (Freidman) (Powel) (Zinn)

During this time, tremendous shifts occurred in American society. This took place with Lincoln ending these practices forever with the Emancipation of Proclamation and the passages of the 13th / 14th Amendments. Inside these documents, outlined the new reality that slavery was illegal and African-Americans were U.S. citizens. This meant that they were entitled to the same basic protections as everyone else under the law. (Freidman) (Powel) (Zinn)

These changes created a shift in the U.S. economy by forcing the Southern states to create new ways of producing different agricultural products. At the same time, it set up an atmosphere where African-Americans had the freedom to determine the course of their own lives. This established the basic foundation that the federal government has the right to intervene in areas concerning the civil liberties of specific segments of the population. (Freidman) (Powel) (Zinn)

As a result, this created a precedent for Washington to enhance these protections and ensure there is equality within various practices which are utilized by businesses / society (i.e. The Civil Rights Act of 1964). Had it not been for these challenges, society and the economy would be vastly different today. In many ways, one could argue that the issue of slavery was of the primary forces leading to greater amounts of power for the federal government inside these areas. (Freidman) (Powel) (Zinn)

The New Deal began in 1933. It was in response to the tremendous amounts of economic upheaval taking place throughout the nation since 1929. At the heart of these programs, was a focus on increasing the power of federal government in relation to the states. This meant that new laws were enacted to address these problems. The most notable include: the Social Security Act, the Glass Stegall Act, the Securities & Exchange Act, the Wagner Act and the Agricultural Adjustment Act. These regulations increased the ability of workers to organize, it provided financial assistance to farmers / the unemployed / poor, it created a massive public works program and it regulated banks / the financial markets. This was a dramatic shift with the federal government playing an active role in areas that were often reserved for each state. (Freidman) (Powel) (Zinn)

These changes created lasting shifts in society and the economy by establishing new standards for protecting the rights of workers, the regulation of business and ensuring that fair trade practices were utilized at all times. In the future, this provided the federal government with increased amounts of power. These changes meant that Washington would play a dominate role in determining what is happening with the economy by enacting national standards for everyone to follow. (Freidman) (Powel) (Zinn)