Shawn,
I appreciate your reflection here on the institution of slavery. You indicate that this was a southern issue. But, I would encourage you to consider the economic benefit to a manufacturing northern economy that made money off of manufacturing clothes made of cotton, dyed with Indigo. It is harder to untangle the interests of slavery when we scratch the surface. This is not to underplay the bravery of those who worked the underground railroad, or the abolitionists who publicly advocated for abolition. I just urge you to be mindful of the landmines of division and heroification that can emerge with an exceptionalist viewpoint. It will be the manufacturing northern interests that will push into the Midwest and bring warfare to the Plains Indians.
Alyssa
I appreciate your reflection here on the institution of slavery. You indicate that this was a southern issue. But, I would encourage you to consider the economic benefit to a manufacturing northern economy that made money off of manufacturing clothes made of cotton, dyed with Indigo. It is harder to untangle the interests of slavery when we scratch the surface. This is not to underplay the bravery of those who worked the underground railroad, or the abolitionists who publicly advocated for abolition. I just urge you to be mindful of the landmines of division and heroification that can emerge with an exceptionalist viewpoint. It will be the manufacturing northern interests that will push into the Midwest and bring warfare to the Plains Indians.
Alyssa