1. Read pp. 147-151 in your textbook.
2. Post a comment to the following: the people in the South claimed slaves were essential for their economy. Based on your reading and the video we watched. Do you beleive that slavery should have been allowed in our country during the early part of the 1800's?
Slavery should not have been allowed in our country during the early 1800's. One obvious reason for this was that it was against our country's beleifs. We had just fought a war to gain our independence, and now we were turning around and telling other people that we were going to take away theirs. Also, many families were split up during the trade of slaves. Since there was a higher demand for slaves in the deep south, slaves in the upper south were sold to lower states. The chances of this happening were as high as 30%, which meant the probability of being separated from a loved one was extremely high. If there was a clear financial benefit to owning slaves, maybe their could be an argument to supporting this act; but, researches have found that there was no financial gain from slave labor. There should not have been slavery because it was inhumane and not beneficial to the economy.
ReplyDeleteI believe that slave labor should not have been allowed in the 1800s. The South’s claim of slavery being essential to their economy was disproven. Some historians found that the cost of slaves was increasing faster than the rate price of cotton. They found that slavery was dying by the time of the Civil war because slavery was dependent on new and fertile land, almost all of which had been occupied by the time of the Civil War. Slavery was a dying institution and would have easily reached its natural limits quickly if it had not been stopped by the Civil War. The institution of slavery also held the South back from being able to protect itself economically. The entire Southern economy was dependent on plantation economy, and they depended on the North for all their manufactured goods, marketing facilities, and capital. This worked to their disadvantage because the South did not have their own industry, commerce, or shipping, so when they were feuding with the North, they were worried about their financial stability. Lastly, the treatment of slaves was against all of America’s principles. Everyone’s rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness were supposed to be protected by our constitution, but for some reason a slave’s life, physical and mental well being, and rights were not considered to be the same value of a white man’s. Such inequality was hypocritical of everything America stood for. The disregard for the slave’s rights was illustrated in the movie we watched when the wife, plantation owner, and overseer discuss a slaves place and the world, and their value to society.
ReplyDeleteGeorge- I agree that it was inhumane to treat slaves the way that the plantation owners did. They completely disregarded the fact that slaves were human beings. They did not value their lives the same way they valued a white man’s life. As a new nation, America was supposed to be a land of freedom, yet the Southerners were stripping the slaves of liberty. It seems to be hypocritical of what America stood for.
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ReplyDeleteSlavery should not have been allowed in the United States during the 1800's, or any period for that matter due to the fact that slavery violates one's human rights. Slaves lived in inhumane conditions, being given barely enough resources to survive. Slaves, and all people of African origin in the United States at the time, were treated as sub-humans, as most Caucasians believed at the time. Families were often split up, since they were treated as property and not as people, despite any emotional attachment. Also, slaves were often sexually abused by their owners.
ReplyDeleteEconomically, slaves were unnecessary. During the 1850s, the cost of slaves grew at a quicker rate than the cost of the price of cotton. Also, Slaves only truly benefitted larger plantations. High transportation costs, vulnerability to market changes, and the lack of credit were some of the reasons why smaller plantations were unable to thrive. Also, due to the great divisions by race and class, the South was largely undeveloped and uneducated, due to most slaves having extremely limited literacy and a poor public education system for Caucasians. Slave's education was limited because slave owners did not want the slaves to become smart enough to rebel and to think that they could do more than simple physical labor. The limited education for most Caucasians gave most very little incentive to work hard, holding back the South's industrialization and ability to develop human resources, condemning the South's economy.
George/Micaela - I agree that slavery was against the country's beliefs. It is unconstitutional because a person should be entitled to liberty in the United States, but this was not the case with the slaves. As you mentioned, it is completely hypocritical for the United States' beliefs to be rooted in freedom and liberty after independence from Britain, yet the people who believed this had slaves themselves.
ReplyDeleteMicaela - I agree with you about how the South was completely dependent on the North due to their extremely limited manufacturing, and how their economy would be non-existant without the North. Many of the South's crops, would be completely worthless without the ability of them to be manufactured into some type of good; cotton was virtually worthless if it wasn't able to be made into textiles.
Katie
ReplyDeleteSlavery should not have been allowed in our country during the early part of the 1800’s because not only were the slaves treated very poorly, but the institution of slavery detracted from the productivity of the South instead of adding to it. Historians have found that the land that was able to be used to grow cotton was all used up by 1860, which meant that slavery was no longer able to expand. In addition, only the large plantations with slaves were profitable because smaller plantations had to spend more money than they were making and often did not have credibility. Inventions such as the cotton gin and fertilizer decreased the need for slaves in the plantations. The division of the different classes in the South made states extremely weak, which was a huge disadvantage when they went into the Civil War against the North. Furthermore, slavery should not have been allowed because slaves were treated terribly. Whites believed that the slaves were illiterate, which led them to treating the slaves like animals. Whenever a slave did something wrong, they were whipped violently and young slave girls were sometimes raped by their masters or white overseers. Overall, the advantages of the institution of slavery did not outweigh the disadvantages and the way that the slaves were treated was completely inhumane.
George – I agree with you that the way the slaves were treated went against everything Americans supposedly stood for. It was hypocritical of the plantation owners to take away rights from the slaves that they had just fought so hard to gain for themselves. Americans created the Constitution and fought the Revolutionary War to give every citizen of the U.S. equal rights, yet the slaves, who were technically citizens of the U.S., were not being allowed even the most basic rights.
Philip – I agree that the lack of education in the South and the presence of slaves made the Southerners less motivated and less educated. This had a huge impact when the South fought the Civil War, because they were not as prepared and not as well-educated as the North. The presence of slaves also added to the South’s dependency on the North for manufactured and industrialized goods and made the whites in the South much less self-sufficient.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePhoebe
ReplyDeleteSlavery should not have been allowed during the early part of the 1880’s because slavery unjustly discriminated against people of African origin and limited the profitability and availability of resources of the South. African slaves were sold throughout America as property, separating many slaves from their family and friends for life. Due to Africans being seen as an inferior race, they were forced to adopt the American culture. In the miniseries "Roots", a young Kunta Kinte from West Africa was sold to a plantation owner named John Reynolds and whipped under the command of Mr. Ames, the overseer of Reynold's slaves, after he attempts to run away. Kunta was whipped until he submitted to the American culture and stated that his name was now Toby. African slaves like Kunta were also given poor living standards and a denial of minimal literacy. The dependence on slavery also limited the profitability and availability of resources in the South. Slavery required large amount of fertile lands in order to harbor success which eliminated the opportunity for other forms of manufacturing and commerce to develop in the Southern states. Therefore, dependence for capital, marketing facilities, and manufactured goods was placed on the Northern states. Also, cotton was the chief crop produced from slave labor and in the 1850’s the price slaves grew at a faster rate than the price of cotton. Investments in the slave-based agriculture received only moderate returns which did not help to reverse America’s debt and as the institution of slavery weakened the divisions between the North and South grew.
Micaela- I agree with your statement that, “The institution of slavery also held the South back from being able to protect itself economically. The entire Southern economy was dependent on plantation economy”. The dependence on slavery left the future of the Southern states in question and placed a great deal of pressure on the Northern states to produce in large portions.
George- I agree with your statement that slavery should not have been allowed in the U.S. because “it was against our country's beliefs. We had just fought a war to gain our independence, and now we were turning around and telling other people that we were going to take away theirs.” By contradicting the principles for which they stood for, America allowed for their fight for independence to become disingenuous.
I do not think slavery should have been allowed in our country in the 1800s. Having slavery gave our new country a bad impression on others. The United States wanted to make the impression of a strong country that deserved respect but having slavery was not helping that cause. The US seemed cruel by treating other humans in such an inhumane way, shown in the show "Roots." Many argued that slavery was the only way to keep the Southern economy running and able to compete with the industrial North. However, only 1/4 of all white southerners belonged to families owning slaves. This shows that slavery was not the pinnacle of Southern economy like many slave owners stated.
ReplyDeleteGeorge: I agree with you that slavery went against the country's principles. Fighting a war for independence and then not granting independence for all was extremely hypocritical.
Philip: You make a good argument that slavery was in fact hurting the South's economy. The cost of slaves growing higher than the cost of cotton shows that slavery was not necessary for southern economics whatsoever.
Slavery in the 1800s should not have been allowed because it went against the basic human rights. Slaves were treaty poorly. As demonstrated in "Roots", slaves were forced to live in harsh conditions, work long days, and were whipped as a disciplinary act. Also, female slaves were unjustly taken advantage of. Slaves endured all of this and were not repaid in any manner.Another reason that slavery was wrong was because it supported the idea that humans were property. Slaves were traded and sold as if they were a manufactured item. The were looked down upon as if they were worth nothing. White slave holders thought they were superior and that the life of a black slave did not matter. Slave trade also broke up strong family bonds that could never be mended. Lastly, not only was slavery wrong, but it did not help the Southern economy. In the Mid 1800s the price of slavery was rising faster than the rate of cotton, making it more and more expensive to keep slaves. Slavery was becoming unprofitable because it was reaching its natural limits. In turn, slavery was hurting the Southern economy rather than helping it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with George that slavery goes against our country's beliefs. The United States had fought for their own freedom, and preached about natural rights, yet they took the freedom and rights from these people and enslaved them. These actions are contradictory and make the Americans hypocrites.
I also agree with Phoebe that it was wrong to force the slaves to submit to the American culture. She used the example in "Roots" where the slave was whipped until he accepted the American name that was forced upon him. Slave holders took away the African culture from the slaves as well which was wrong.
Lily
ReplyDeleteHaving slaves in the 1800s was not in the best interest of the United States. Their goal as a country was to prove to other countries that they were a strong and independent country. Having slaves did not prove this. The United States were previously able to show that they were strong and independent by denying the French request for money to meet with them. They also came across as powerful by beating the British in a war. But this impression they had on other countries was changed when they had slavery across the country. It made them look bad because they had just fought a war that was based around independence. Slavery made the United states look like they fight wars for no reason. It did because of how they treated the slaves. In one scene of the show "Roots", the slave owner is talking to his wife and they are talking about how the slaves are not capable of reasoning by themselves. It also shows them whipping one of the slaves. If the States had actually believed in freedom and Independence they would not have not had slavery. Having Slaves made them look bad to the entire world.
Melanie: I agree with Melanie that Slavery made the United States have a bad impression with all the other countries in the world. It did because the States wanted to look strong and powerful to other countries, but they just looked like they were not able to function without the help of other.
George: I agree with George that the States, were dumb to fight a war based around Independence and freedom, and then the ended up treating African American people with little to no respect. This made them look hypocritical to other countries around the world.
The practice of slavery should not have been permitted in the United States. All aspects of it went against human standards and general morality. Although Southerners believed that slave labor was the core to a profitable economy, they could have gotten along just as successfully if they applied their own labor or paid those who worked for them. Human rights were violated in the treatment of slaves. "Roots" powerfully depicts the mistreatment of black slaves. They were talked down to, beaten, raped, and taken advantage of. Along with general mistreatment, slaves were also overworked and forced to live in less than ideal conditions. Along with being used to preform laborious duties, slaves were also traded and sold like goods in order to give plantation owners more money. The United States lowered their credibility of being a strong independent nation by relying on the cruelty of slave labor.
ReplyDeleteMicaela and Philip, I like the point you made about slaves costing more than the price of cotton. That clearly shows how unnecessary they had become, and that the Southern economy could have survived without them.
I agree with George's point that the use of slaves lead to an unneeded war between the Northern and Southern halves of the United States. Slaves were obviously a hindrance to the country's unity and ability to become prosperous as a single nation.
Philip: I agree with you that the lack of education among slaves hurt the South and hindered their future.
ReplyDeleteMelanie: I like your outside-the-box thinking in saying that slavery made our country look bad.
I believe that slavery should not have not permitted in the US because the slaves were treated like animals, and did not get a say in their treatment. The majority of slaves lived in worse conditions than the poorest free people in the United States, and as seen in the miniseries "Roots", some slaves were chained and kept in inhuman living conditions. While Southerners claimed that slavery was beneficial, how was paying (thousands?) of dollars for a human and then keeping them chained and bound boosting the economy? The whole process and institution of slavery was corrupt and unjust, and while the South was flourishing because of the cotton industry, slavery was not the reason behind it. Historians found out that there was no difference in industry/plantation efficiency and profit if a free person was working or if enslaved people were working. So, if there was not a difference in profit, why did people need to keep and own slaves? Why couldn't humans work for money? If they did, the entire country could benefit from it because of new jobs. Slavery was extremely unfair and should not have been allowed in the United States.
ReplyDeletePhoebe- I like how you pointed out that even though cotton was the main crop in the south, the price of slaves grew at a faster rate than the rate of the price of cotton. That makes me think that maybe the US, especially the Southern States, did not have the country's best interests at heart.
George- I agree with what you said about the United States fighting for independence against England while many citizens still had slaves.
Slavery should not have been allowed in our country during the early part of the 1800’s. Many historians have debated whether or not slaves were essential for the Southern economy, but I would have to agree with those who believe there wasn’t a significant “profitability” for owning slaves. The union of slavery is the reason the South became dependent on one form of agriculture, which was the production of cotton. Since the South’s economy was solely based upon the business of cotton production, the people of the South weren’t self-sufficient and their economy and standards of living relied upon the industries of the North for capital and marketing. Historians have stated that the price of slaves in the 1800’s rose at a faster rate than the cotton they were producing. Many historians also believed that slavery was unprofitable and because of the vast expansion of slaves in such a short amount of time (Number of slaves tripled between 1810 and 1860 to nearly 4 million), slavery would have become naturally obsolete. While watching an episode from the show “Roots,” the mistreatment of slaves was clearly noticeable. The slave they called “Toby” was chained up every night, and malnourished. The Southerners were also poorly educated compared to the North, which left the South underdeveloped. Also, as seen in “Roots,” slaves were denied even minimal literacy, which made them physically and mentally weak workers.
ReplyDeleteGeorge- I agree with your take on the inhumane conditions of the slaves, and the tragic departures due to forced separation from their families. I also agree with your point about slavery going against the principles of equality, which was the reason America separated themselves from Britain in the war. In the South slaves were considered inferior to the white civilization, which went against the rights and freedoms America had recently gained with independence.
Inez- I thought your point was interesting about how slavery lowered the integrity of the United States because they relied on the labor of hardworking slaves. I agree with this point, and I think that Southerners were comfortable with their wealthy cotton plantations and thought that if slavery was abolished, their economy would severely diminish, when in reality slavery didn’t significantly effect the economy.
Scott-
ReplyDeleteDuring the early part of the 1800’s, slavery should not have been allowed in the United States because it was not as necessary to southern economy as people had argued. Only one fourth of the whites in the south owned slaves, and only four percent of the southern whites were plantation owners. Since a majority of the slaves were on plantations, the slaves were very unevenly dispersed and most people worked and farmed for themselves without slaves. Therefore, slavery may had been necessary to the economy of the four percent who were plantation owners, but not to the entire south. Many of the people who owned one or very few slaves probably could have the field work of the slaves for themselves but did not want to do the work. Southern slave owners just argued it was necessary because they wanted free labor and did not want to do the work themselves. If southern slave owners paid workers to do the work instead of use slaves, it would have stimulated the economy of the south even more than it was because there would be more jobs and money flow so slaves were not necessary to the economy.
Phoebe- I like your points on how the slaves were forces to take on American culture. That was unnecessary for the slaves, the owners just wanted to display power. I also agree that slavery was not in the best interest of the southern economy, it was just in the best interest of the slave owners who didn’t want to work.
George- I also agree that slavery was against our countries beliefs. The Constitution states that “all men are created equal” which completely contradicts slavery. The Constitution also guarantees freedoms of religion and says there can’t be any cruel or unusual punishments, both of which were displayed in the movie Roots.
Meredith
ReplyDeleteSlavery should not have been allowed in our country during the early part of the 1800s. The living and work conditions were inhumane and below the conditions of even the poorest free white people. In the video clip we saw how “Toby” was tracked down by vicious dogs, dragged back to the farm behind a horse, and then brutally beaten with a bull whip. The white men behind those actions would never do that to a peer, but allowed it seemed acceptable because they saw black slaves as animals that could be bought, sold, trained, and beaten. Southern slaveholders of the time also said that slaves were a necessity because they provided free labor. In the 1840s and 1850s, southern industrial factories experimented with free white labor, enslaved black labor, and in some cases a mixture of both. The results were that mills were equally profitable and efficient no matter whom their labor force made of. Another negative aspect of allowing slavery during the early 1800s was that it hurt the economy. The internal slave trade in the United States seemed like a positive part of the Southern economy, when in fact it brought bankruptcy and left torn up land in its wake. The boom of internal slave trade and cotton sales in a good time were followed by widespread depressions several times between 1815 and 1860. Also after the slave had labored over cotton fields and harvested the product, they moved on to richer soils further west and left damaged and ruined lands behind them.
Scott- Although I didn't mention it in my own response, I completely agree that it's necessary to point out how few of the southern white males actually owned slaves.
Katie- I agree with your statement "Inventions such as the cotton gin and fertilizer decreased the need for slaves in the plantations." I think that slavery could have had a dramatic decline after this invention instead of growth.
During the 1800s slavery should not have been allowed in the south, because the cons of slavery outweighed the pros. Only 1/4 of the southerners owned slaves, which shows that they were not really necessary. If 3/4 of the population was surviving without slaves, then everyone could. The ethical reasons, are the strongest reasons for why slavery should not have been allowed. The slaves lived in horrible conditions, like in the episode we watched in class, where the new slave had to sleep chained up in a barn sleeping on hay, like an animal. They were treated like objects and not people, which is something our country never should have allowed. Some evidence suggests that on only large plantations, were slaves profitable and even that slavery was a dying institution at the time of the Civil War.
ReplyDeleteGeorge- I agree that it was hypocritical, to fight a war for independence, and then enslave other people, just based on their skin color. This was unjust and went against the Constitution which says that all men are created equal.
Phillip- I agree that slavery violates people, which is something that should never be taken away. They should not have been forced to work for no pay and live in such horrible conditions.
Sarah Carlson-
ReplyDeleteIn some ways, slavery should and should not have been allowed in the 1800's. It was allowable because it was the main source of revenue for the country at the time and prevented the economy from collapse. However, slavery was extremely immoral and went against America's previous philosophy of personal rights and freedoms.
The textbook mentioned that the cotton produced by the slaves in the American South was much of the whole world's supply of cotton, and accounted for more than half of the country's exports. This means that America made most of its money off of the cotton. So, if slavery was abolished, this huge source of revenue would disappear and the whole economy would have collapsed.
Slavery was, however, immoral. The United States, at the time, had just gotten out of a war with England in order to secure people's liberties and freedom, which is hypocritical of these beliefs if they were to continue enslaving people. Also, the treatment of slaves on plantations was sometimes pointlessly cruel and degrading, as shown in the sitcom "Roots" when 'Toby', the black man from Guinea, got whipped to near death in front of all the slaves. One way of providing an excuse for this is that white people, at the time, truly believed that blacks were inferior to whites and could be considered property rather than human beings.
Melanie- You had a good point about slave owners only representing 1/4 of the people in the South. Since few people actually owned slaves, perhaps it is not worth sacrificing the country's beliefs to allow a small portion of the country to be involved in slavery.
George- Your point about the slave trade splitting up families goes hand in hand with how immoral slavery was (and still is). It is simply cruel to split up a family forever, and especially if no one gets paid.