ShmoopTube

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[ musical flourish ]

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And here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by regional differences,

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the age-old "y'all" versus "youse" versus "you guys" debate.

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Uh, all right, check out this excerpt.

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"Free laborers have less liberty than slaves."

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[ mumbles ]

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Cannibals All! Or Slaves Without Masters.

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[ mumbles ]

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And the question:

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Which of the following major contrasts does the excerpt highlight?

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All right, major contrasts...

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[ dog barks ]

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[ mumbles ]

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Well, in the excerpt, Fitzhugh writes that "free laborers have

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less liberty than slaves,

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are worse paid and provided for, and have

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no valuable rights." [ chuckles sarcastically ]

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[ indistinct ] ...that slaves enduring abuse and back-breaking work

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for no pay would feel a little bit differently.

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All right, well do Fitzhugh's sentiments towards

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slavery highlight a major contrast B -

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between the Republican and Democratic parties?

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Although the issue of slavery was a major issue in both

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the Republican and Democratic platforms, many Americans

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at the time were joining regional splinter groups,

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which led to the temporary dissolution of the two-party system.

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So the party's over for B.

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Does the excerpt describe C -

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growing differences between states and new territories?

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Well, as people moved out west into the mountains and plains,

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their lives and experiences were bound to be different

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from those living in the East.

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But those differences weren't as ideologically extreme

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as the ones between the North and the South.

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Do Fitzhugh's comments reflect the D -

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differing opinions within the abolitionist movement?

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Well, abolitionists may have disagreed over

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how they were gonna get rid of slavery, but they did agree on one thing:

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they needed to get rid of it.

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Fitzhugh, however, did not seem to have

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too many issues with the institution, since

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"the slave is taken care of, whether employed or not."

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[ chuckles sarcastically ]

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All right, which means the opinions on slavery in the excerpt

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most reflect A - regional differences

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between the Northern and Southern economies.

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During the mid-1800s, the North and South were worlds apart

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on slavery, since it was unacceptable in the North, but was

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vital to the economy of the South. So the answer is A.

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These regional differences led to the outbreak of the Civil War,

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one of the most un-civil conflicts in all American history.

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