Pros And Cons Of Slavery

“It was not color, but crime, not God, but man that afforded the true explanation of the existence of slavery; nor was I long in finding out another important truth, what man can make, man can unmake” (Douglass 59). In My Bondage and My Freedom, Fredrick Douglass explains in detail the harsh and cruel realties of slavery and how slavery was an institution that victimized not only slaves, but slave holders, and non-slave holding whites. Fredrick Douglass could not have been more right with his observation of slavery. In my opinion, slavery is not only an institution, but is a prime example of a corrupt business model that thrives on free labor, ultimate control, and wealth.

Growing up in the rural south not having the same options of the upper class left me working on the plantations. Roaming around to find to work to support myself I occasionally found work during the harvesting seasons. My father lost our families land and the little comfort we had a decade earlier. The struggle to provide for myself led me to the ditches and mining. These jobs were more dangerous than working in the fields on the farm. Before the nomadic life of running all over the South finding odd jobs I worked near the slaves. My life was rough not having anything to go back to, but they had it far worse. In a way it’s selfish for me to complain about the way I’m living when it’s harder to survive enslavement. Working beside the sick and bruised people it is

Slavery is the act of owning a person, making them the legal property of another and forced to obey the defined owner. It was the dominant form of labor in the country of the United States between 1815-1861. This was a country that stood for liberty and freedom, and the way they operated was based off of controlling and forcing others to complete tasks. James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Jackson were President during this time span, and each had different views and morals when it came to slavery. James Madison, the first of the four to run his term, was a key contributor to the Bill of Rights. He believed in human rights especially rights to liberty and property. In an article written to address Madison and other’s views and inputs in the bill, it states “They[George Mason, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson] were men for whom ‘possessing property’ was a natural and an inherited right. And a substantial portion of the property that each owned was slaves”(Roger Wilkins). James Madison wrote in the Bill of Rights each man’s individual liberties and freedoms, and still goes on and with his rights, such as that to own property, he owns other men. James Madison was not someone known to be against slavery, however, he was not a supporter, he merely believed he had the right to property, and with the knowledge that slaves were property he gave himself the right to own slaves.

In his article, “The Blessings of Slavery,” George Fitzhugh brings about an argument against the abolitionist movement. In his writings, he speculates on the feelings of a black man under slavery, something that he will never feel or understand without personally going through it.He asserts that slavery is truly good for both white and black men. Along with the idea that black men are inherently lazier, he claims that racism is actually placed on the backs of the white man. These claims are false and rooted in a purposeful misunderstanding of the true nature of slavery.

George Fitzhugh argues that slavery is justified because although they are not free, they are taken care of by their masters and have no outside worries or cares as a result of that. He paints an inaccurate picture of them, one that makes it seem acceptable, almost a preferred lifestyle. The issue with that is that it is not reality. The horrors of slave culture are ones that cannot easily be matched. The vilest acts are done to these people, and all because they have a different skin color. Families have been torn apart, mothers separated from children and children suddenly without their parents. They are unlikely to ever see their families again. Fitzhugh argues that "the master 's interest prevents his reducing the slave 's

Calhoun stated, “Never before has the black race of Central Africa, from the dawn of history to the present day,attained a condition so civilized and so improved,”.John C. Calhoun a defender of slavery says this making it as though slavery was good for themselves but also good for the impact on the slaves or African Americans.Second, in Slavery a Positive good William Joseph Harper says that slavery stops the evils of civilization as douglass says it is the evil, as Harper exclaims, “anticipates the benefits of civilization and retards the evils of civilization.” This exhibits that in the pro-slavery argument they think as slavery a good and not an evil while Douglass clearly thinks badly of slavery as he was one of the leading abolitionists.Third and last of all, in the Slavery a Positive Good James Henry Hammond says the laws of slavery is peaceful and dulcet.Like he states, “ abolition was a threat to the peaceful and harmonious implementation of necessary social laws.”This ratifies that as defenders thought that these laws were right for peace Douglass states multiple times how slavery is tearing families apart from each other and their homes and how they are treated worse then

He believed that slaves were less intelligent and would never survive in a capitalist society such as Northern states which he thought is more likely free and more respectable states. According to Fitzhugh he thought that the blacks very inferior to white in any aspects. George Fitzhugh believed that the children, elderly and ill people do not worry about labor since their masters provided them with everything that satisfies their needs. In addition he also mention that slaves lives a comfortable life and enjoy liberty because in his argument he thinks that women do not have to engage in hard labor and are protected by their husband by salve owners.

When referring to the days of slavery, it is often assumed that the south was the sole force behind its continuance. However there were many factors which lead southerners as well as some in the north to quietly accept slavery as a good thing. John Calhoun declared in 1837 “Many in the South once believed that [slavery] was a moral and political evil…That folly and delusion are gone; we see it now in its true light, and regard it as the most safe and stable basis for free institutions in the world” (p. 345). This statement was justified by various reasons. There was the fundamental belief that Africans were inferior to their white counterparts. Many saw the slave population as a labor force that

The “Narratives of the Life of Frederick Douglass” is the story of Frederick Douglass’ life from the time he was born into slavery, to the time he escaped to freedom in the north. When Douglass wrote this book, slavery was still legal in a large portion of the United States. After Douglass’ escape to freedom and his continuation of his education, he became an abolitionist through his works of literature and speeches. In “The Blessings of Slavery”, by George Fitzhugh he states that southern slaves for the most part are the freest and happiest people in the world. He also goes on to say a number of other things that basically establish that slaves live an easy and good life compared to others. Frederick Douglass’ pure story telling in the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” directly goes against any argument for slavery from Fitzhugh, by revealing the harshness of the institution of slavery and the individuals behind it. In each piece of literature both authors also unknowingly touch on topics of early American history such as free labor ideology and paternalism therefore deepening our knowledge of popular understandings during this time period. Douglass refutes Fitzhugh’s pro-slavery argument of the average slave living an ideal life, by disproving early ideas of the free labor system and paternalism through real life encounters of the physical oppression slaves faced on the day to day basis in the forms of inhumane

As the slave population in the United States of America grew to 500,000 in 1176, documenting slavery as part of the American Revolution became increasingly important. America was rooted in slavery; and it contributed to the economy and social structure. The revolution forced citizens of the new nation to be conscious of slavery and its potential dismissal from every day life. Two articles that prove slavery only succeeded because of the false reality that slave owners created and the conformity to this reality by slaves are; George Fitzhugh who defends the proslavery argument and Frederick Douglass who supports a desire for freedom.

In the book entitled Cannibals All! Or, Slaves Without Masters, Fitzhugh speaks out to abolitionists in Virginia during 1857. His audience is anti-slavery group and wants slavery to end and think black laborers are being treated horribly and it negatively impacts the lives of slaves. However, Fitzhugh argues pro slavery grants power to move from defending slavery as an essential evil too a positive good. Therefore, Fitzhugh speaks about “In such countries the poor need protection. But there can be no efficient protection without enslavement” (L. 11-13). Fitzhugh uses subjective writing to suggest his audience that black laborers tend to live a more convenient life enslaved, he implies his personal thought because his perspective is that black

After the Civil War, four million slaves were set free. However, they still faced the same problems as when they were enslaved. Many freedmen couldn’t get a job, find education, or even go to same the church as whites. The Congress tried to help the freedmen by placing programs that would help get them back on their feet, but there just wasn’t enough for all four million of them.

George Fitzhugh was a theorist and a social advocate who argued on the subject of slavery based theories. Fitzhugh, in the publication “Slavery Justified” presents an argument as regards the subject of capitalism and the need for slave labor compared to wage labor. In this discourse, Fitzhugh clearly makes

In Cannibals All! Or Slaves Without Masters, George Fitzhugh calls his mostly Northern abolitionist audience to recognize that slavery benefits them. Fitzhugh explains that “Now it is obvious that to emancipate all the Negroes would be to starve Western Europe and our North.” (pg 298) Fitzhugh uses this causal relationship in order to demonstrate the consequences that will occur as an effect of the emancipation of slavery and to show how necessary slavery is.

Fitzhugh’s views “attacked northern society as corrupt and slavery as a gentle system designed to “protect” the inferior black race and promote social harmony.” (Fitzhugh, 1854). Even though, Fitzhugh wanted slavery to work the same way a communist country worked, his views on slavery proved to be resilient despite both reform movements challenging slavery and the rise of democracy in the U.S. Fitzhugh felt that liberty and equality were not enhancing the comfort or the happiness of the people instead he thought that a system where the profits were divided according to each man's wants rather than labor would work better (Fitzhugh, 1854). He explained that with a communist system like this “There is no rivalry, no competition to get employment