Market Revolution through the Civil War

Market Revolution through the Civil War
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Market Revolution through the Civil War
The 17th and 18th centuries saw a significant number of African populations being kidnapped and ferried across the Atlantic in some gruesome encounters in the hands of merchants of the slave trade. This was fueled by the growing agricultural activities and, in later stages, the famous westward migration in the mid-19th century. In the 1820s and 1830s, the period popularly known as the market revolution saw the transformation of independent small farmers into renowned businessmen, where farming and barter trade were no longer the mark for one's economic strength but rather one’s relevance in the market (Larson, 2009). The US congress banned slavery in the early 19th century. However, the enslaved population continued to soar until the 1860s, when it nearly tripled. Slave owners remained influential individuals throughout the period between the market revolution and all through the Civil War despite the legal developments. This was enabled by several factors that included the ability of these enslavers to pull some strings in all arms of government.
The Legislature
From the early 18th century, all through the Civil War, and even into the early 20th century, members of Congress, the legislative arm of government in the United States, were enslavers at some point in time (Weil et al., 2022). Some of the representatives owned enormous plantations that necessitated multitudes of slaves. With their powers, the enslavers, who were also members of Congress, exploited their abilities to influence legislation on slavery, with some attempting to even legalize slavery in their states (Rowe, 2011). Not only were the slave owners members of Congress, but they were from across the political divide, leaving much power at their disposal. The political and economic powers that the enslavers had amassed inhibited the legislative arm of government tasked with enacting laws that would eventually empower the minority groups of African descent.
Congress made little effort in its constitutional amendment role to denounce some clauses of what can be described as a pro-slavery Constitution (Panton, 2020). The failures of Congress to make amendments to some of the constitutional provisions that empowered the enslavers during the era between the market revolution through the Civil War ensured the institutionalization of slavery in the US. The Constitution, for instance, limited the autonomy of Congress to regulate the international slave trade as well as protect the enslavers by giving them powers to recapture their slaves. Congress also allowed the enactment of some pro-slavery legislation even at the state level. The Jim Crow segregation law, for instance, which was enacted after the Civil War, denied the African American population, who were mainly captives of the enslavers, the right to vote and any other rights that would emancipate them (Stern, 2021). This further empowered the enslavers despite being the minority.
The Judiciary
The judicial systems played a significant role in strengthening the enslavers throughout the 19th century. From the Supreme Court...