The misinterpretation and different views of what was stated in the Constitution contributed to the sectional discord, tension and failure of the Union. The Constitution was written almost a century before all these problems occurred, they could not have foreseen such issues back then.
Although the Constitution was written very well for that time period, it does unfortunately contribute to the failing of the Union.The Constitution was written so it could be interpreted differently by whoever was reading it. Although sometimes people find ways to twist what was stated in the Constitution to make it benefit their situation. Documents B, E, and I all show examples of different interpretations of the Constitution. They explain how slavery was never actually stated or used in the Constitution but has been interpreted in many ways.
Some believe it is based on states and others say it is in the Constitution that it is legal. Some believe that our Constitution contradicts itself. It is supposed to be to protect the rights and liberties of everyone, but it takes all rights away and causes fear in African Americans. While others say that slaves are not included in the Constitution and that they do not even have any rights. Some of these interpretations could be solved if certain issues were covered in the Constitution itself.
Due to how long ago the Constitution was written there are many issues and problems that are not stated in it or do not pertain to the time period. This causes tension and sectional discord among the states and eventually led to the separation of the Union. Document D shows how the Fugitive Slave Law is immoral and wrong. “…as soon as the Constitution ordains an immoral law, it ordains disunion,” meaning that if there is a law that is wrong in the Constitution it goes straight to disunion instead of amending the law.
In Document G the only way to keep the Union together would have been to amend the Constitution because it didn’t include anything on fugitive slaves, slavery in new territories, or slaves in free property. When the Constitution was written there were no issues like these that needed to be resolved, but now that there is it is causing big problems between the North and South.Do to the issues within the Constitution and what is not included in the Constitution, the North and South are facing serious problems. They are going head to head on almost every issue and are making decisions nearly impossible to achieve. Document A shows how the country is split between slavery in the South and anti-slavery in the North and the dispute over the new territories.
Documents C and D refer to the Fugitive Slave Law. The South expects the North to bring back escaped slaves when the North is all about abolishing slavery. The South is trying to get back their slaves and is mad that the North doesn’t help them but instead helps the slaves. The North and South are going against each other and this is causing the nation to split slowly. These documents foreshadow the split of the Union.“By the 1850’s the Constitution, originally framed as an instrument of national unity, had become a source of sectional discord and tension and ultimately contributed to the failure of the union.
” This statement is very valid. The way that the Constitution was interpreted and the things that it did not account for are just some of its drawbacks. It created a feud between the North and South and eventually caused the secession of the South.
