Plautus: It’s perhaps best I prepare you for your political science test tomorrow. Let’s start with examining federalism and American political development.

Glaucon: Alright.

Plautus: Now, towards the mid 1800s, the United States experienced industrialization, mostly in the North. Large factories were set up with millions of machines. Now, tell me, with the help of mechanical strength, does it really matter if a worker is strong?

Glaucon: To an extent, still. However, it does reduce strength as a factor.

Plautus: Most certainly strength will play a role, even today. Yet, by 1800s, Northern industrialist found out that female labor were becoming much more appealing as they can be paid less to work on the machines just as well as men.

Glaucon: Interesting, I suppose that spawns the first feminist movement along the way, but how does that connect to slavery?

Plautus: Well, that is not the first feminist movement. We will wait til the 20th century for that. However, by going into the work place, women started to actively talk about social issues. This isn’t the first feminist movement, but it mirrors what will happen later. We can call it feminism beta test.

Glaucon: Alright.

Plautus: The women soon came to the conclusion that they were oppressed, a reasonable conclusion as they were paid less than men in the 1800s, they couldn’t vote, and their household authority was lacking. Like many officer workers today, they sat together and discussed, then they thought: perhaps we should think about freeing the slaves.

Glaucon: Wait, what? Why?

Plautus: Think about it for a second. By the 1800s, many European countries have abolished slavery. Britain did it in 1833. The social wind was shifting. There was momentum behind the movement.

Glaucon: So, how does that connect to women’s rights?

Plautus: If slavery is to be freed and given equal rights, wouldn’t it be ridiculous not to grant equal rights to women who are born free?

Glaucon: I see! I see! They sought abolition not for the slaves, but for themselves. But how are they to do it?

Plautus: Have you ever wondered why many presidents were once ladies’ man? Somebody like Kennedy, Nixon, Reagan were once loved by the ladies. Hell, even the current Canadian prime minister Trudeau was attractive to the ladies when he first ran.

Glaucon: Why is that?

Plautus: Statistics show that women influence the votes of their husbands. The second vice- president, Aaron Burr, first discovered this in his campaign. He found out that by influencing the ladies, their husbands would vote for him.

Glaucon: I think I see what’s going on now. When all the ladies go home and urge their husbands to support the abolition movement, not just the electoral campaign, but the entire Northern society would be influenced.

Plautus: Precisely. In the words of “JoJo part 5,” there was a wave of golden wind. The North was united in their abolition movement. Meanwhile, the South was heavily dependent on slaves for their plantations. Without the large farm machines America has today, slaves were necessary commodities for their agricultural economy.

Glaucon: I think the rest is pretty clear, both sides tried to best each other in Congress, with the North eventually coming on top. Afterwards, Lincoln was elected, and the South felt there was no choice but to fire first.

Plautus: Precisely. Federalism, which upholds two levels of government between the state and the federal, present such a problem. People of a state often identify with their states so much that they would lash out against the Federal government. And political development in America, especially feminism and abolition, were hand-in-hand because they often cooperate to break inequalities in their respective fields.

Glaucon: Alright, got it. That’s some nice summarization of early 1800s content. Can you believe it took our professor two 80-minute lectures to finish all this? It’s ridiculous.

Plautus: Bruhhhh.... Either he’s going into ridiculous details, or I can teach your class myself.?