Was the Slavery Issue Truly Unsolvable Without War?

When the American Civil War broke out, the U.S. constitutional system had already been in place for seventy years. Unfortunately, despite decades of dispute between North and South over slavery, the issue still could not be resolved through democratic deliberation. Such a momentous decision as war was not settled through congressional debate and vote; instead, a small number of people spoke, and bullets delivered the verdict.

The cost of resolving the issue through war was staggering. In four and a half years, the losses in lives and resources far exceeded those of the eight-year War of Independence plus the two-year War of 1812 combined. The struggle between abolition and slavery was treated as an absolute moral dichotomy—black or white—with no room for compromise. Yet compromise paths did exist. For example, conditions for slaves could have been gradually improved, with education introduced and emancipation carried out step by step as conditions matured. Over several decades, slavery could have been phased out at far lower cost than violent confrontation.

In fact, as early as the 1820s, many slaves had already become free people. Some of them, with the help of American civic organizations, returned to Africa and later became the founding population of the Republic of Liberia in 1847. That the American slavery dispute escalated into a nationwide war shows that democratic constitutional systems require long-term maturation. Even with as fine a constitution as America’s, fundamental disagreements within one “family” were still resolved through war.

Slavery itself was an inevitable stage in human history. With the invention and use of cotton-harvesting machines, manual labor was bound to be gradually replaced. Once plantation owners calculated that machines were cheaper than maintaining slaves, slavery would naturally disappear. The question of slavery’s survival would have been resolved organically through technological and economic development.

Is White Slaveholding an Original Sin?

From time to time, conflicts between police and African Americans erupt in the United States, bringing racial issues back to the national spotlight and sometimes triggering nationwide unrest.

Some trace the roots of the Black problem to what they call the “original sin of white slaveholding.” But is slaveholding truly a sin? If we do not view it historically, then America’s founding fathers would all be sinners. Benjamin Franklin, the most respected elder statesman among the founders, owned slaves. President George Washington owned slaves—visitors to his plantation today can still see slave quarters. Thomas Jefferson also owned slaves. In the early days of the republic, White House services were rudimentary; some presidents even had to bring their household slaves with them to serve in the White House.

Disorderly Emancipation Harmed Both Master and Slave

The emancipation of slaves in the United States occurred during the Civil War, and the core problem lay in its sudden, disorderly execution. With a single proclamation by President Lincoln—without prior congressional debate, without a detailed plan or supporting system—slavery was abolished overnight. But what came next?

Former slaves knew how to follow orders and pick cotton; they had little else. Once freed, what were they to do? Four million people suddenly faced no livelihood. Unable to survive, some resorted to theft; those with strength turned to robbery. The government could not manage the situation, whites resorted to self-defense, the Ku Klux Klan emerged, racial conflicts multiplied, and the nation descended into chaos.

Returning to the Roots for a Clear Reckoning

American Indians are largely peaceful today, and we rarely hear of unrest among them. Despite long and bloody conflicts between whites and Native Americans in history, Native Americans today do not harbor deep hatred toward whites. Most have assimilated into mainstream society and live no differently from other Americans. Native Americans were once a serious historical problem for the United States, but it was eventually handled relatively well.

African Americans, unlike Native Americans, did not wage prolonged wars against whites. So why has the Black–white relationship proven so difficult to manage?

Only by reexamining the African American issue from the beginning—by returning to the roots—can the United States identify the core problem, untangle the deadlock, and arrive at a fundamental solution.