<p>This was my March SAT essay. Please give it a grade (with explanation) so I can see whether or not I want to pay to get it re-scored. Thanks!</p>
<p>It's the "majority" one, by the way.</p>
<pre><code> In our society, many people believe that the opinion of the majority is a good guide. However, examples throughout history have shown that the majority of people are often not well informed about an issue. As a result. they are often unable to make accurate decisions about this issue, and can often hurt others because of their opinion. One example of a time when the majority of people were wrong was during the debate over slavery in America in the 1850s. In the South, most people believed that slavery was a good system and should remain legal. However, only a small, vocal minority knew that slavery was cruel and unjust.
Ever since early European settlers came to America, slavery was considered a useful system. For centuries, cotton and tobacco farmers used African slaves to do the farming. As a result, Southeners felt that slavery was a traditional and vital part of their economy. Slave owners believed that their black slaves were truly inferior people and that tehy could only handle menial, farming tasks. Some Southeners who did not own slaves still approved of the system because, for them, it meant there would always be a class of people below them - the slaves. John C. Calhoun, an exponent of slavery, argued all of these points, which represented the majority opinion among Southeners.
However, it is clear that in this case that the majority was wrong. Slavery was a degrading system. Slaves were not treated as people and suffered psychological consequences as a result. Slave families were often seperated and slaves were beaten and treated with extreme cruelty. Although the majority of Southern whites felt slavery was beneficial, millions of slaves were suffering.
While most people did not care about the feelings of slaves, some people realized the slaves' great troubles. This vocal minority, the Abolitionists, fought to end slavery. Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave, travelled through Northern cities spreading his stories about the horrors of slavery. Another abolitionist, William Lloyd Garrison, wrote a newspaper, "The Liberator," which contained articles advocating the abolition of slavery. Despite the efforts of Douglass, Garrison, and other abolitionists, many Americans still supported slavery. It was not until the end of the Civil War that slavery finally ended in the United States.
Although the majority of people can often make good decisions, the example of slavery reveals this is not always the case. Most people supported a system that was harmful to millions of people, while only a few Americans saw the need to end this detrimental system.
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<p>Thanks!!</p>