Sic Semper Tyrannis: Årsagerne til Virginias løsrivelse fra USA i 1861
Oversat titel
Sic Semper Tyrannis: The Reasons for Virginia's Secession from the US in 1861
Forfatter
Jacobsen, Niclas Bruun
Semester
4. semester
Uddannelse
Udgivelsesår
2024
Afleveret
2024-05-30
Antal sider
70
Resumé
Under løsrivelseskrisen 1860-1861 blev Commonwealth of Virginia den ottende stat, der forlod USA, og den første, der gjorde det efter at borgerkrigen begyndte den 12. april 1861. Afhandlingen undersøger, hvilke begrundelser der blev givet for Virginias løsrivelse, og i hvilket omfang forsvaret for slaveriet prægede beslutningen. I årtier var staten splittet: I øst var slaveriet udbredt, mens den nordvestlige del havde langt færre slaver. Selvom slaveejere kun udgjorde en lille del af den frie, hvide befolkning, sad de på en stor del af den økonomiske og politiske magt. Det skabte langvarig utilfredshed i Nordvestvirginia, hvor mange mente, at slaveejernes privilegier krænkede deres rettigheder. Indtil krigen brød ud, var der dog ingen radikale forsøg på at ændre systemet. I 1850'erne dæmpede forbedret infrastruktur også utilfredsheden blandt mange i det centrale Virginia, som ellers delte synspunkter med befolkningen i nordvest. I Virginia såvel som i resten af Syden frygtede slaveejere både vold - slaveoprør som Nat Turners oprør i 1831 og abolitionistiske aktioner som John Browns angreb i Harpers Ferry i 1859 - og føderale tiltag, især efter præsidentvalget i 1860, som den republikanske kandidat Abraham Lincoln vandt. Det Republikanske Parti blev bredt opfattet som en trussel mod slaveriet. South Carolina brød ud i december 1860, og seks yderligere stater i Lower South fulgte hen over vinteren 1860-1861. Virginias statskonvent mødtes fra 13. februar til 1. maj 1861 for at drøfte løsrivelse. Før krigen begyndte, var de fleste delegerede imod at forlade Unionen. Efter kampenes udbrud den 12. april skiftede mange dog side, så tilhængerne af løsrivelse fik flertal. Dette skifte tyder på, at mange delegerede var moderater, som i sidste ende prioriterede bevarelsen af slaveriet over bevarelsen af Unionen. Derfor var den umiddelbare udløser for Virginias beslutning ganske vist krigens begyndelse, men ønsket om at beskytte slaveriet spillede en stor rolle. Ordlyden i Virginias løsrivelsesforordning - den formelle erklæring - understøtter dette synspunkt. Den blev vedtaget med 88 stemmer for og 55 imod og slog fast, at Virginia sammen med andre slaveholdende stater opfattede sine rettigheder som undertrykt af den føderale regering. Selvom forordningen ikke præciserede detaljerne, var Virginias stærkeste fælles sag med resten af Syden ønsket om at opretholde slaveriet i overskuelig fremtid.
During the secession crisis of 1860-1861, the Commonwealth of Virginia became the eighth state to leave the United States, and the first to do so after the Civil War began on April 12, 1861. This thesis examines the reasons Virginians gave for secession and how far the defense of slavery shaped that choice. For decades, the state was divided: slavery was widespread in the east but far less common in the northwest. Although slaveholders were a small minority of the free white population, they held much of Virginia's economic and political power. That dominance bred long-standing resentment in northwestern counties, where many felt slaveholders' privileges violated their rights. Yet, until the war, there were no radical attempts to overturn the system. In the 1850s, improved infrastructure also quieted similar discontent in central Virginia. Across the South, including Virginia, slaveholders feared both violence - slave revolts such as Nat Turner's in 1831 and abolitionist raids such as John Brown's at Harpers Ferry in 1859 - and federal action, especially after the 1860 election of Republican Abraham Lincoln. The Republican Party was widely seen as a threat to slavery. South Carolina seceded in December 1860, and six more states in the Lower South followed during the winter of 1860-1861. Virginia's State Convention met from February 13 to May 1, 1861, to debate secession. Before the war began, most delegates opposed leaving the Union. After hostilities started on April 12, many changed sides, giving secessionists a majority. This shift suggests that many delegates were moderates who ultimately prioritized preserving slavery over preserving the Union. Thus, while the immediate trigger for Virginia's decision was the outbreak of war, the desire to protect slavery played a major role. The wording of Virginia's Ordinance of Secession - the formal declaration - supports this view. It passed by a vote of 88 to 55 and asserted that Virginia, alongside other slaveholding states, saw its rights oppressed by the federal government. Although the ordinance did not spell out specifics, Virginia's strongest common cause with the rest of the South was a commitment to maintain slavery into the foreseeable future.
[Dette resumé er omskrevet med hjælp fra AI baseret på projektets originale resumé]
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