Slavery Dbq Essay

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James Monroe, James Madison, and John Quincy Adams not only share the fact that they are among the first few Presidents’ of the United States, but they share a common viewpoint on slavery. The three Presidents put together have served from 1809 to 1829 in the Presidential office, which means that Washington was under control of this common viewpoint for 20 years. The three men were divided on the issue, James Monroe and James Madison owned slaves, while John Quincy Adams did not however, all three men were all opposed to slavery yet they were nowhere near abolitionists. James Madison was among the few men who, “finagled locating the national capital, Washington, DC, in slave territory” (“Slaveholding Presidents”). Madison was able to hold slaves in office, which …show more content…

In similar fashion, Monroe held about 75 slaves during his time in office. However, he supported, “colonization as a means of gradually reducing, and ultimately abolishing, slavery in the United States” (Burton). Monroe also supported a plan to gradually diminish slavery, showing that he does not outright support slavery and wants to do away with it eventually, but he does not take drastic measures to abolish slavery, presumably because he himself held many slaves. John Quincy Adams’ views on slavery were a little different but along the same lines, he, “despite being opposed to slavery, did not support abolitionism except if it was done in a “gradual” way with “much caution and Circumspection”” (“John Adams on the abolition of Slavery, 1801”). Adams, like Monroe and Madison only supported a plan of gradual slavery abolition. Holding no slaves, he was one of a only a few presidents during this time period that did not, so his motive for not being an abolitionist wasn’t to keep his slaves like Monroe and Madison. Three of the four Presidents during 1815-1861 opposed slavery, yet they only wanted the process to be gradual, the last of the presidents in this timeline, however, did not agree with this

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