SURNAME 1

Student’s Name

Professor’s Name

Course

Date

Bruce Levine’s Half Slave Half Free

"Half Slave and Half Free" by Levine is a history book about slavery in the United

States of America's history among the native population. Additionally, this article explains

the causes and effects of the American civil war on the country's economic, social, and

political status. An element of disaster, slavery helped shape the southern woman and helped

shape the social fabric. Slavery shaped the pre-Civil War South politically, culturally, and

economically. When it came to social status, people's ethnicity and gender were the most

important factors. Among all the tribes, the slave masters stood head and shoulders above the

rest. Slave black women had a negative connotation across the board. In the slaveholding

hierarchy, white women were accorded greater privileges. The system of slavery was set in

motion by racial discrimination and the belief in one's superiority.

Women were confined to a specific geographic area because of the slavery system.

They aspire to a better social position. In both the South and the North of the Antebellum,

male paternalism and female authority were closely linked. Influential white southern women

supported slavery because of the strict slave rules enforced by the slave masters. As a result,

these women became the region's leading advocates of slavery and the slave trade. The study

of the causes of the American Civil War aims to develop strategies for preventing future wars

and resolving on-going conflicts elsewhere in the world. The intensity of the conflict is what

Levine uses to categorize the Civil War, and the subsequent consequences at the heart of

every civil war are people who rise against the government and demand their way of life. It is
 SURNAME 2

a depiction of America's second democratic revolution, he says, because the country's wide-

ranging economic disparities sparked the war. People in the north were free, but those in the

south were enslaved during this period. As a result of the gap in growth and distribution of

public resources caused by slavery in the South, the region's population grew slower. The

divergent ideologies of the political leaders in the two regions may also have contributed to

the outbreak of this Civil War. People in the South of the pre-Civil War era held different

cultural beliefs than those of the free people of the north (Levine, 2005). As a result, the

Northern population consisted primarily of free whites, while the southern population was

mainly made up of enslaved blacks. When compared to the northern rich, the economy of the

south suffered. As a means of obtaining and retaining cheap labor, slavery was widely

accepted.

A small group of people used slavery to take advantage of the weaker members of

society and elevate their own social and economic standing. Cotton was a major export for

the South's economy. While the Northern Province shipped various goods, the Southern

Province only shipped one product: cash crops. In 1776, the United States won its political

freedom from the British, which ushered in the era of American democracy. The author

referred to this period as a "democratic revolution" because citizens were now free to engage

in any illegal activity they wanted to better their economic and political circumstances. The

connection between liberty and democracy was an important selling point for Levine's

proposal. Traditional black and uncivilized people made up the majority of the southern

population. In Africa, Europeans were forced to perform menial labor for the descendants of

the enslaved Black peoples. The democratic rights of white people had been secured. Because

of their perceived inferiority, white Americans were compelled to treat black people with

inhumanity in the name of their democracies. In the United States, political and social

disparity existed between the two regions during this period of slavery. Forcibly drafted into
 SURNAME 3

the military, many black Americans were subjected to white superiors (Levine, 2005). The

enslaved people of these people were mobilized to fight for their democratic rights by this

group of citizens. Slavery's proponents argued that it should be legalized because it had made

their owners extremely wealthy. Slave traders and owners were enraged and prepared for a

political crisis due to this aggressive attempt. Due to this crisis, a new political party was born

dedicated to abolishing slavery in the United States. They wanted to stop this dehumanization

of black people from spreading and advocate for equal treatment.

Many factors led to the American Civil War's inception. According to Levine, the

country's recent political, social, and economic upheavals are to blame for this conflict's

onset. There are a variety of theories among historians as to why the conflict erupted.

Ultimately, because slavery and the fight for equality in the country were the primary causes

of the war, it was dubbed "a war between rich and poor." Soldiers and Republican leaders

rallied the enslaved black population to fight for their civil, economic, and social rights.

Increased pressure on southern leaders, particularly those who advocated for equal treatment

of all citizens and recognition of diversity in our country, was caused by slaveholders' efforts

to legalize slavery. The purpose of the war was to end the exploitation of African Americans

by whites in the South during the antebellum period. Another reason for the American Civil

War was the widening gap between the races and religions of the country's citizens. During

slavery, some African Americans refused to accept the Christianity of their masters and

instead followed African traditional religions and Islamic law (Levine, 2005). However, even

if slaves converted to Christianity, the harsh treatment they endured from their masters

remained a source of ire. To stay united during the conflict, the rebel leaders enlisted the help

of their followers. The Republican Party was founded by these leaders, who were black

Americans. Common interest was seen in taking ethnic, religious, and class grievances into

account because they were the catalyst for the outbreak and spread of war. In comparison to
 SURNAME 4

whites, blacks had distinct ethnic and religious traditions. The rise of civilized Africans led to

the mobilization and sensitization of the people to ask for their rights, which had been derived

from them by the white people, to be restored. People, including slaves, began to rise in

rebellion against their oppressors.

Slavery and racial discrimination, according to Levine, were the primary causes of the

American Civil War. This is because many people were opposed to the slaveholders'

exploitative nature and their efforts to legalize slavery. White people were moved by the

brutality of slavery and a desire to stop it from happening again in the United States because

of this empathy. Even so, the U.S. government appeared to support the tycoons' proposal at

the time due to its potential economic benefits. Slavery unquestionably allowed many white

people to gain access to wealth that was previously out of their reach. The Republican Party

was born in response to this concern, and it has been active ever since. Many people came to

understand their rights and became more outspoken about their views on slavery, whether

pro- or anti-slavery. Because of this, Northern and Southern states disagreed on whether or

not slavery was morally permissible in their respective states. As a result, over time, and

As more people chose sides, the young Republic headed toward civil war. Slavery

played a significant role in shaping American history, beginning with Washington and

Lincoln. During this time of civil war, Abraham Lincoln was president of the United States.

According to the president, the war started due to the leaders' attempt to protect the union

rather than stop the spread of slavery in the United States of America. Emancipation was

made possible by slavery, which led to laws guaranteeing equality for all people, regardless

of race or ethnicity. In 1862, most Republicans believed that taking on the country's slave

owners should be viewed as a war against the institution of slavery itself. As a result of the

mounting anxiety, President Lincoln felt compelled to enact the emancipation policy. The

Civil War was sparked by slavery, which resulted in the abolition of slavery (Levine, 2005).
 SURNAME 5

Slaveholders were declared free by Lincoln in his messages. Because the borders of the rebel

states were constrained, this emancipation was designed to end the Civil War in the country.

Equal representation in the House and Senate was established following this period of

slavery. In addition, African-Americans were permitted to run for office in the government.

By serving in the Union army, freed slaves played an essential role in ensuring the Union's

victory and advancing social justice. Although the constitution called for social, political, and

economic equality, the country's slaveholders ignored this recommendation. While President

was opposed to slavery as a system, he was unwilling to support its abolition. A less direct

route to ending slavery was his decision to promulgate emancipation. Emancipation allowed

black people to form a political union that can be used by those who have been humiliated

and enslaved in the past to express their concerns. Thus, the antebellum era's racial injustices

paved the way for the civil rights movement of the 1960s, which fundamentally reshaped

American society. To end the Civil War, the United States of America had to abolish slavery.
 SURNAME 6

Work Cited

Levine, Bruce. Half Slave and Half Free, Revised Edition: The Roots of Civil War.

Macmillan, 2005.