History

History
Essay 2
With their many achievements in establishing a new nation, America’s founding generation had limited answers for the problem of slavery, which they sometimes described as a “necessary evil.” Thomas Jefferson—among other “Founding Fathers”—hoped that slavery would eventually fade away. How realistic was this desire? If powerful men claimed that they wished slavery would someday vanish, then why did slavery actually become more entrenched during the early American republic? In 5 to 6 pages (double-spaced), identify key developments that led to slavery’s expansion. You may reference lecture or readings from Major Problems, but most of your essay should draw upon The Half Has Never Been Told.