Slave Trade

In 1787, "in Order to form a more perfect Union, " a group of political leaders wrote the Constitution of the United States. Some 50 years later, however, some people believed that the Union was still far from perfect. Most of them were not political leaders. Instead, they were everyday Americans—men and women, black and white, ministers and teachers.

From the 1830s through the 1850s, these reformers tried to improve American society in many ways. Some of their efforts met with great resistance. One of the most controversial issues was the struggle to end slavery. Many Northerners, as well as many white Southerners, thought slavery was morally wrong. However, the South's economy depended on slave labor. Over time, that dependence grew.

The Constitution banned the importation of slaves starting in 1808. Yet, as white Southerners moved westward, the demand for slave labor increased. This demand was met by the natural growth of slave populations in older parts of the South. Slaveholders in these areas sold slaves to buyers from other regions. The map on the opposite page shows the cities where much of this slave trade took place. It also shows how slavery spread west. The map below shows the distribution of the slave population in 1860.

Throughout the mid-1800s, social movements attempted to abolish slavery and reform American society. Differences between Northern and Southern states grew over time, creating two distinct regions within the United States. These social and economic differences made slavery a difficult institution to reform, leading to conflict between the North and the South.