Slavery Entrenched

Slavery became economically entrenched in the sense that there were several significant figures that supported slavery and the slavery rate increased with the production of cotton as well. Cotton was an extremely valuable resource and became very popular during the early 19th century, used in the manufacturing of many clothing articles and things similar to it. Slaves were crucial to the production of cotton, and without them at the time, the united states cotton industry would collapse. Although the North wasn't directly supporting slavery, they were indirectly supporting it by using Cotton, which was produced significantly in the south by the slaves. And, since cotton was a huge part of the economy at the time, with the lack of cotton the economy would collapse.

There were several significant figures that had distinct opinions on where they stood on slavery. To name some, Frederick Douglass was an abolitionist who was once a slave. After 2 unsuccessful attempts at escaping slavery, he finally did and made it his duty to speak out against it. However, on the other hand there was a man named George Fitzhugh. George Fitzhugh was widely criticized for his support of slavery, and his belief that slavery was multicolored and determined simply by one's color, strength, and ethnicity. 

Abolitionist Frederick Douglass's Take on the Celebration of July 4th

All of these systems of slavery seem to ignore very basic human rights and characteristics. Through slavery, many were mistreated to an extent in which would be seen as simply intolerable in today's world. Many slaves in the 19th century had families and homes that they were taken away from. I support Frederick Douglass's view on July 4th, which says that unless every single inhabitant of the United States is free, regardless of color or ethnicity, then July 4th is unfair and insignificant to a large majority of people left in the United States. 

The Women's Reform Movement

During the early 19th Century, a large portion of the women in society realized the oppression they were facing from men and their spouses. During the time, women were treated with very little respect and seen as worthless compared to men. Men were allowed to beat their wife at least once a month. Women were not allowed to speak in public. Women couldn't vote. Women were not allowed nearly half as much of a man's salary for teaching. In summary, women were treated as something less than human and not recognized as anything more. Men abused their wives physically and verbally with no punishment or justice from the law, getting away with the most absurd doings. There were different reactions to the idea of the Women's Reform, but many opposed it seeing it as a joke. In certain news paper articles, many patronized the idea and regarded it in a very condescending manner.

During the Seneca Falls Convention, A declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions was created that established many things and injustices that women felt were unfair to them. It was structured very similarly to the constitution and listed out things such as the idea that men have made women civilly dead, how they have the right to take all of a women's property, and many other things regarding the restriction of basic women's rights. Over time, women were eventually granted some freedoms to how they live their life and many unnecessary "restrictions" were lifted as well. However, women in the 21st Century are still seen as the inferior gender, simply because of the habits of the past that have carried on into today.

Today, women are viewed differently from men simply because of the idea that they were born as women. While a man making a compelling speech may seem persuasive, a woman making the exact same speech may seem as if they're nagging or complaining. It's a horrible habit that society has put upon itself that should change but most likely won't, since many people still disagree. The video below shows a few examples of what the difference of gender can do to a person's lifestyle.

Video Link

Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions Document

The Rights (Restrictions) of Women Document

Seneca Falls Convention