Choose one question from the list below and respond. Identify to which question you are responding. Submit your 2-3 page response to the Discussion Area. Remember to use supporting citations from the textbook and online lectures. (Here is a guide to help you with APA-style citations.) By the end of the week, please comment substantively on two or more classmates’ assignments and to any questions left to you by the instructor in his or her feedback. Leave comments that raise salient points and stimulate discussion. Focus on the topic and its historical context. Be respectful, helpful, clear, and concise. Always utilize constructive language, even in criticism, to work toward the goal of further learning.

Question 1:

By the 1820s, slavery was under attack, and southerners countered by defending slavery as a positive good and used biblical examples to support their arguments. Explain what the southerners said, and why, and then discuss why by 1850 the national debate over slavery had changed from a primarily legal debate to a moral debate. What events caused this shift?

Question 2:

As industrialization changed the manufacturing scene in America, more and more women entered the workforce. Discuss whether or not the use of women in factories was an example of women’s empowerment or their exploitation. Offer specifics to defend your decisions.