The History Of Slavery In America

Slavery was an important economic factor, in the South, from colonial time through the early years of the United States to the end of the Civil War. The methods used by the slaveholder, who owned large scale plantations, in the south were harsh on the slave. Slaves were viewed as material properties used for to be used for economic gain. One large scale plantation owner named John R. Williams wrote to another slave , in a letter, "...Africans do seem to be made to be slaves. Their coarse manners and slow wits show that they need outlet guidance..."1* Masters would do what was necessary to keep the slave obedient and productive. This meant slaves that misbehaved would be physically punished, lose privileges, or maybe even sold, separating them from their families. For these reasons slave often didn 't misbehave, but tension that builds up will be released in often violent ways. This is the reason for frequent slave revolts. The these revolts were often led by a person or a group of people. They would gather the unhappy slaves and lead them to rebel.

Slavery was a very divided issue in early American history. It was the backbone of the southern economy and lifestyle, but also a immoral way to treat people that was contradictory to ideals which America liberated itself upon. Slavery continued to expand because of new economic growth, but many slaves were also freed from their bondage during this time because of religion and the new ideologies that America gained in becoming a country. Most slaves responded to these hardships hardship through active and passive resistance, whereas free African Americans became more outspoken and formed communities in response.

The South, on the other hand, was highly dependent upon the institution of slavery. It was still primarily an agricultural society that needed as many laborers as possible in order for the plantation owners to make ends meet. According to historian Douglas Harper, “In 1793 came the cotton gin, which brought a 50-fold increase in the average daily output of short-staple cotton, promoted the rapid expansion of a ‘cotton kingdom’ across the Deep South, and made large-scale slavery profitable.” Because of this, the slave became an essential tool to the farmers of the south; more money became invested in slavery rather than in industrial improvements. Based upon the 1860 U.S. Census, there were almost a whopping total of four million slaves in the South alone. In fact, the more slaves an owner had, the more prestige. “Most slave owners owned fewer than five slaves, and only 12 percent of Southerners had twenty or more slaves. Many whites who had no slaves looked with envy upon the wealthy, and to a degree admired them.” This hierarchy had a clearly defined social structure which created distinctions between rich and poor whites as well as racial segregation. This agricultural society and its strict hierarchy only increased the social and racial disparities found in the southern region of the United States.

The crops grown on plantations and the slavery system changed significantly between 1800-1860. In the early 1800s, plantation owners grew a variety of crops – cotton, sugar, rice, tobacco, hemp, and wheat. Cotton had the potential to be profitable, but there was wasn’t much area where cotton could be grown. However, the invention of the cotton gin changed this - the cotton gin was a machine that made it much easier to separate the seeds from cotton. Plantation owners could now grow lots of cotton; this would make them a lot of money. As a result, slavery became more important because the demand for cotton was high worldwide. By 1860, cotton was the main export of the south. The invention of the cotton gin and high demand for cotton changed

Slaves were an economic positive but a social negative in history. They helped the economics of the country thrive and grow, but it was also a insult of a race. Africans also had a history that they should have been proud to have. Instead, they were denied their heritage and were made to be ashamed of the people that they were. The development of slavery was the white slave owners ' way to maintain control of the growing population of Africans, socially and industrially. If the slaves were confined to the fields of the plantations for supervision, the whites would remain dominant race and maintain their theory of "white supremacy." It also freed the slave owners from the worries of labor

This shows that the South lacked in the white working force, forcing them to find another source of labor, African slaves. Another source of labor that was quickly dwindling for the plantation owners were indentured servants. In the first couple of waves of settlers that came over to the New World, many came over as indentured servants because it was the only way for them to pay for a trip over to escape the English economy and poverty. But the English economy began to improve and people didn?t need to come over anymore causing even more trouble for the plantation owners to find people to work the fields.

Slaves performed many different services, they worked in homes, factories and helped even as skilled laborers but their most common work was in the fields, “Slaves grew a variety of crops including rice, sugar, and tobacco, but the “white gold,” cotton was central to the southern and national economies” (Foner 598-600). Cotton slowly grew into a major US export, with its exportation swelling from only a few thousand bales in the late 1700s to five million bales before the start of the Civil War (Foner 587). With the cotton crop at the time rising to unprecedented levels, not only nationally but also globally, this put extra emphasis and value on the slaves shouldering the vast workload of this economy. “By 1860 the economic value of property in slaves amounted to more than the sum of all the money invested in railroads, banks, and factories in the United States” ( Foner 595). There was so much money and business invested, tied into and benefitting from the exploitation of the free labor of these slaves. Southern Planters had major political pull and a significant portion of this country’s wealth, “Planters dominated the antebellum southern society and politics and exerted enormous influence in National affairs as well. The wealthiest Americans before the Civil War were planters in the South Carolina low country (where rice was the principal crop) and the Mississippi Valley cotton region around Natchez” (Foner 621). I believe that with all the money, power and land that was reliant on the work of the slaves there was no way these southerners were just going to give that up without a

The south for a good while was always fond of using slavery as a cheap source of work. The increase in the number of slaves was when John Rolfe became one of the first to cultivate tobacco in the so called “New World back then in the 17th century. There was good money to be made about the amount of labor that went into the tobacco cultivation was harch, hence why slaves were used. Ever since then, it is obvious to note that slaves dominated the aspect of southern life. Whether that be economically, socially or politically, slaves played an important role in each category.

In the antebellum America, slavery expanded because of planation needs and Westward expansion. In the 19th century, owning a cotton plantation was the number one thing, economically, to do. With the spread of the cotton market, planters “forged a distinctive culture around the institution of slavery”. Slavery increased even more because of the rise of cotton plantations. Plantations were big, and owners needed a good amount of workers to keep it running. Owners could either pay workers, or buy slaves and have them work for nothing. The owners would still usually clothe and feed the slaves, but some did not. In the end, owning slaves was more economically beneficial. On top of the cotton market, sugar also bursted onto the scene. Henry Bibb

The Slaveholders had their slaves doing their dirty work for them such as, maintaining the farms, picking cotton, etc. Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin and this made it a lot easier for the slaves to pick cotton, which became the principle export commodity of the United States. According to the article, Southern Society and the Defense of Slavery the cotton gin made the aggressive use of slave labor economically dominant. In the North slavery wasn’t as dominate as it was in the South. “Slavery was an institution established and regulated in detail by law.

The growth in cotton and crops production did not cause the change in economic system, but caused the increase in demand in slaves. Cotton boom required more production, and more production required more labor that meant more slaves. The number of slaves increased from 700.000 in 1790 to more than 1,5 million by 1820. For Southern states the idea of abolition was something incredible and impossible. Southern planters saw slavery as the only way of labor organization for black people. They believed that the slavery was the only conditions in which blacks could exist and that is why they could not be freed - they did not fit for freedom. Slaves were considered as property and therefore could not be treated as free people. For Southern planters the violence, both physical and sexual, was the norms of morality, they believed that as soon as slaves are property they could not have feelings and emotions and all what blacks need was to be feed, dressed, and have shelter. Since Southern planters gave this basics to slaves they thought that slaves should be happy and

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.

The use and purchased of slaves became an economic justification for continuing the slavery and for their demand. Although the Northern states were in the process of abolishing slavery, in the South, “slavery became a way of life”. (Beamish). Particularly for those Planters that were expanding their lands and wanted to trade in the international market. With the cotton boom, Planters became wealthier and increased the use of slaves to maintain their farms at a higher capacity.

The influx of slaves into America, due to the South Atlantic System, provoked white violence, creating generations raised to be tyrannical (ruthless) owners of a continuously unifying African slave base. In order to keep up with increasing demand and production of tobacco and rice in America, more and more slaves were being sold into America. The percentage of Africans in Chesapeake rose from 20% of the total population in 1720 to 40% in 1740, and up to 80% of total population in rice-farming areas of South Carolina. As the workforce increased, so did the whites’ hostility towards their slaves. Larger numbers of slaves made uprisings more common and powerful so slave owners executed harsh punishments and administered strict rules. It didn’t

During the development of the colonies and the nation as a whole, slaves were utilized in order to produce the crops and perform laborious tasks that were “below” white people. In the 1660s, there was an increased demand for tobacco products as well as indigo and rice in England (“African American Slavery in the Colonial Era, 1619-1775”). In order to fulfill the demand, there was a spike in interest in purchasing slaves. More and more slaves were needed to produce larger amounts of crops for the plantation owners.