Slavery : A Prominent Source Of The American Economy

Frederick Douglass was an African American who rose from slavery to become a leading voice in the abolitionist movement; he was also known to be a public speaker and writer who published many works. Frederick Douglass then went on to write an autobiography titled “My Bondage and My Freedom”, discussing in great detail the struggles of being a slave. Throughout his autobiography, Douglass argues very boldly that slavery was in institution that victimized not only slaves, but also slave owners and non-slave owning whites. Frederick’s statement is true in the sense that slavery dehumanized slaves, it destroyed the natural good in slave owners, and slavery robbed non-slave owning whites.

Frederick Douglass was a freed slave in the 1800’s who was famous for his ability to read and write, uncommon of a black man at the time. On July 4th, 1852, he gave a speech to citizens of the United States. In this speech, he called out the “hypocrisy of the nation”(Douglass), questioning the nation's treatment of slaves on a supposed day of independence. Frederick Douglass effectively uses rhetorical strategies to construct his argument and expose the hypocrisy of the nation.

Was slavery an economic engine for the Southern economy before the Civil War? Men like Senator and businessman James Henry Hammond would say yes immediately without a second thought. People like Hammond believed that slavery in these times were critical to the growth of the southern economy. They made points such as that agricultural sales were a main percentage of business in the south and with the large area of fertile land that slave ownership was a necessary evil. Along with those, the decades preceding the civil war, the north began to industrialize, which in turn created a large demand for cotton, which was heavily supported by slavery. Not only was slavery a supporting crutch for the immense cotton market, but also slave trade proved to be a highly profitable market of his own. Finally, from the perspective of a plantation owner as a business enterprise, owning slaves proved to be most effective by implementing business strategies, much like Henry James Hammond’s. Without slavery, small planters would have been unable to make a steadfast profit, leaving the cotton industry to rely on large plantation owners who would mainly invest their fortune in British luxurious imports, instead of diversifying and reinvesting in schooling or infrastructure. I personally believe that James Henry Hammond and others were correct, with exception to my ethical beliefs, that slavery was a key factor in the growth and preservation of

There is no doubt that the United States was built upon the hard work of Black-American slaves, referred to at the time as bondpeople, who were the main labor force in producing important American exports, such as cotton or tobacco, which were, in fact, the backbone of the American economy during that time. Due to bondpeople’s overall importance in keeping the United States the powerhouse that it was, the domestic slave trade was a value market that “‘was roughly three times greater than the total amount of all capital, North and South combined, invested in manufacturing, almost three times the amount invested in railroads, and seven times the amount invested in banks’”(23). In “‘In Pressing Need of Cash,’” Daina Ramey Berry, a professor for the Departments of History and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas, looks at a fifteen year period, from 1850-1865, of the economic factors of the domestic slave trade. Berry uses Steven Deyle’s findings in his study, "Carry Me Back: The Domestic Slave Trade in American Life” which examined both the "long-distance interstate trade" and the extensive local or "intrastate" trade of enslaved males and females, who were priced differently depending on their perceived market value (23). With Deyle’s findings, Berry specifically discusses the relationships among gender, age, skill, or type of sale and how those factors, generally, determined the priced paid of enslaved workers.

During the mid 1800’s, slavery was a large problem in southern America. The slaves were underclassmen who had no rights, were treated terribly, and were often harshly punished. Many African Americans were angered with the poor treatment, and could not do anything about it. Change was in order, but America had not made any changes. That is until Frederick Douglass, an escape-slave, spoke at a large Fourth of July celebration in Rochester, New York about slavery in the United States. Frederick Douglass was once a slave in the South, but he was able to escape to Northern America, where he worked as a laborer to make a living for himself. Douglass was then able to buy his own freedom within the United States, enabling him to start a newspaper column supporting the anti-slavery movement. He wrote about the lack of rights African slaves had and what could be done differently within the United States. Until one day he was able to finally tell everyone the truth about America and the African American slaves during his speech. Frederick Douglass supports the theme that all people should have the same independence rights in his speech “The Hypocrisy of American Slavery” with the use allusions and repetition.

Everybody has something they feel that makes their lives easier, something a person becomes so accustomed to they could not live without it. This is what African slaves were to the Southern colonists. Slavery was a huge factor in the Southerner’s lives. Originally the colonists used indentured servants to work in their homes and on their plantations. This situation was not ideal because the Southern farmers wanted more control over their workers (orange). Virginian farmers heard about the success of slavery in the Caribbean and thought it would be a good solution to their problems (blue). The southern colonists had a very different way of earning a living than in the north. They needed people to work through “the harsh realities of a

The topic of slavery in antebellum America was very mixed overall in the nation. Normally people in the North opposed slavery, while citizens of the South supported it. However, at the same time, many people were unconcerned with this heated topic and needed to be persuaded to join the fight against slavery. Northern citizens may have seen the practice slavery as neither good nor bad, but just part of Southern life going on for hundreds of years. Frederick Douglass, a slave who had escaped to the North, after years of abuse through slavery, knew that in order to stop slavery, he had to persuade all the people in the North to vehemently oppose it as much as he did himself. Through the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”, which he

Douglass, Frederick. “The Hypocrisy of American Slavery.” Great Speeches Collection. Fourth of July Celebration, 4 July 1852, Rochester, www.historyplace.com/speeches/douglass.htm. Accessed 24 Sept. 2017.

Throughout America’s history, we have committed some questionable and highly shunned acts: The Indian Removal Act, The Salem Witch Trials, racism, suffrage, and of course, slavery. Many people have opposing views concerning slavery. Some would even venture as far as saying that America never owned ANY slaves. However, historical evidence proves them wrong. Frederick Douglas was a slave during the 1800’s who ultimately escaped and became an Abolitionist and activist for equality for all people, no matter their race or gender. In his autobiography, Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglas, an American Slave, Douglas describes his life as a slave and the horrific acts he endured. America, a Concise History, by James Henretta, devotes a whole chapter to slavery and society. A few ideas from the two overlap, but there are many differentiating ideas about slavery in the south.

In Modern day America, the thought of slavery is horrifying. It is a dark chapter in the American history and should be fought against at all costs now. However, American used to know the reality of the atrocities that occurred on various southern plantations. Its because of slave narratives that the American people have come to realize the inhumane nature of slavery and thus, that led to political activism. One Slave that helped spread awareness of slavery in the united states was Frederick Douglass “Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass”. Due to his extraordinary use of figurative language to help support his argument. Douglass succeeds in arguing his

There is no doubt that slavery was the engine of American economic growth. United States of America experienced an economical revolution during the slave era and slavery was one of the main factors that contributed to that. As slavers took African slaves for granted and used them to satisfy their economic purposes. Surely it will make sense. Slave labor benefited the economy in many ways, such as agriculture, construction, slave owners and slave trade.

It is considered common knowledge that when slavery is mentioned that cotton was the primary cash crop however, it is uncommonly known how vital it was to the world’s economy and resources. Settlers in North America produced this cash crop on large scale by turning to African slaves. The reason slaves were used was because the slaves were much cheaper as a means of labor as well as other functions too. Many business men use the desirability of slaves and grew rich in the slave trade. Some big portions of the economy were directly influenced by slaves, which made them more than just a source of cheaper labor compared to indentured servants.

Douglass’s speech provides a rebuttal to the several of the prominent excuses for slavery at that time. Initially, Douglass addresses the idea that the slave is not human. However, Douglass combats the notion by reminding the world that not only is the slave a man, but he also reminds the world that no one actually disputes that idea. Douglass points out that “the slaveholders themselves acknowledge [a slave’s personhood] in the enactment of laws for their government” (379). How then Douglass wonders, could slaveholders oppose the manhood of a slave when their laws would treat the Negro as a being capable of moral decision and education (380): elements that make up a man?

Throughout the 19th century issues of slavery became increasingly more visible by the American public. Despite the America’s foundation of being a country which established freedom, the ideas of slavery contradicted this philosophy of American society. Outstanding leaders during the time address the how the implications of slavery affected the United States as a whole. Leaders such as Douglass, Jacobs, Lincoln, and Stowe used literary works to confront their audiences with the cruelty of slavery? One of the most influential men of the time was Lincoln who used his speeches to insight questions of the United States morality. His speeches would go on be quoted for decades to come as his ideas used religious ideas and ideas established in the

In order to begin speaking of slavery in the United States, I must give you an introduction prior to the topic of slavery in history. Slavery has been concurrent since pre-historic times. It has been used in many empires like the Roman Empire, Ancient China, Mesopotamia and the Indus River-Valley. Many of these slaves, men & women, were products of indebt people who sold themselves for money or became prisoners of war who were forced into servitude. Earliest records of slavery date back to 1760 B.C. with the Code of Hammurabi which stated many laws regarding slaves being lost or stolen. Time elapsed as slavery evolved where many Europeans noticed African natives were really durable and had a lot of knowledge regarding raising crop. A