急求一篇19世纪的美国奴隶制分布的英文文章

SlaveryintheUnitedStateswasthelegalinstitutionofchattelslaverythatexistedintheUnitedStatesofAmericainthe18thand19thcenturies.SlaveryhadbeenpracticedinBritishNorthAmericafromearlycolonialdays,andwasrecognizedintheThirteenColoniesatthetimeoftheDeclarationofIndependencein1776.WhentheUnitedStateswasfounded,eventhoughsomefreepersonsofcolorwerepresent,thestatusofslavewaslargelycoincidentwithbeingofAfricandescent,creatingasystemandlegacyinwhichraceplayedaninfluentialrole.AftertheRevolutionaryWar,abolitionistlawsandsentimentgraduallyspreadintheNorthernstates,whiletherapidexpansionofthecottonindustryfrom1800ledtotheSouthernstatesstronglyidentifyingwithslavery,andattemptingtoextenditintothenewWesternterritories.TheUnitedStateswaspolarizedbyslaveryintoslaveandfreestatesalongtheMason-DixonLine,whichseparatedMaryland(slave)andPennsylvania(free).

Althoughtheinternationalslavetradewasprohibitedfrom1808,internalslave-tradingcontinued,andtheslavepopulationwouldeventuallypeakatfourmillionbeforeabolition.[1][2]

AstheWestopenedup,theSouthernstatesbelievedtheyneededtokeepabalancebetweenthenumbersofslaveandfreestates,inordertomaintainabalanceofpowerinCongress.ThenewterritoriesacquiredfromBritain,FranceandMexicowerethesubjectofmajorpoliticalcompromises.By1850,thenewlyrichcotton-growingSouthwasthreateningtosecedefromtheUnion,andtensionscontinuedtorise.Withchurchministersunderpressuretopreachslaverydoctrineconformingtothelocalpolitics,theBaptistandMethodistchurchessplitintoregionalorganizations.WhenAbrahamLincolnwonthe1860electiononaplatformofnonewslavestates,theSouthfinallybrokeawaytoformtheConfederacy.ThismarkedthestartoftheCivilWar,whichcausedahugedisruptionofSouthernlife,withmanyslaveseitherescapingorbeingliberatedbytheUnionarmies.Thewareffectivelyendedslavery,beforetheThirteenthAmendment(December1865)formallyoutlawedtheinstitutionthroughouttheUnitedStates.