preview

The North Was Deeply Entrenched in Slavery Essay

Satisfactory Essays

The North and Slavery Slavery was deeply entrenched in the lives of Americans from both the north and the south. Plantation slavery and the Deep South is typically what comes to mind when the benefits of slavery are considered. However, northern states also benefited substantially from slavery even after it was outlawed in most northern states. Northern states specifically benefited from the shipping of slaves in northern ports, the financing of slaves and land for the south and the various support services of the slavery system.
Shipping Industry Northern shipping ports dominated the trade of slaves and slave related merchandise right up until the Civil War. The ports of Boston, Massachusetts and Newport, Connecticut were primary …show more content…

Slaves were accepted as collateral to secure loans and could be used to pay off debts.
Support Systems The economies of the northern states were very dependent on slavery because it touched so many industries from businesses that worked at the port and in shipbuilding to lawyers, clerks, insurers, and newspapers for advertising. Almost all of the most respected and prominent families in the north were associated with slave trading. Some families owned businesses that promoted slavery at every level from shipping, financing, manufacturing slave products and trading. The DeWolf family of Bristol, Rhode Island was one of the wealthiest families of their time and earned their fortune in the business of selling people (American Documentary Inc., 2008). Families like the DeWolf and other slave traders hired artisans, financial institutions and other many other types of businesses to provide services that enabled them to conduct business.
Conclusion
Although the economic benefits of slave trading were different for the North because of their superior ports and domination of the shipping industry, it was no less of an economic stimulator than it was in the South. Slavery touched nearly the life of nearly every American. From the slave merchants, slave owners, businesses and institutions providing services to slave merchants, to the family using products produced by slaves. Slavery was big business and many people from the North

Get Access