Slavery in the United States: Unjustified on Economic Grounds
analytical Essay
1339 words
Slavery has existed in numerous forms throughout the world for as long as there has been recorded history. Although slavery continues to exist on a smaller scale modernly, the mass enslavements seen across the globe have been eradicated, such as the ending of the enslavement of Africans in the United States in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. For many countries, these slave-holding pasts are a source of shame and embarrassment in that such actions could occur by their ancestors, as the modern world now accepts that slavery is a horribly unethical and immoral institution. In addition to slavery being unjustified on these grounds, the practice of slavery in the United States, particularly in the South, can furthermore be unjustified due to the economic damage it caused to the region. The forced maritime diaspora of individuals from Africa to the Untied States as slaves was not only unjustified ethically and morally, it was also unjustified economically in its fostering of agricultural dependence, industrial retardation, and ultimate economic crippling of the American South. The transatlantic slave trade resulted in the collection and distribution of a huge quantity of individuals from Africa to various other places around the world, especially to the Americas, Europe, and European-controlled lands. To the Americas alone, nearly eleven million slaves were delivered in total from Africa (Eltis, 2008). Of these nearly eleven million, the thirteen colonies of the United States received between three and six percent of the slaves, which was at most, 600,000 imported persons (Eltis, 2008). However, these figured do not represent the total number of persons enslaved due to the reproduction of slaves after arrival (Ulrich, 1... ... middle of paper ... ...urnal of Political Economy, 66(2), 95-130. Eltis, D. (2008). The U.S. transatlantic slave trade, 1644-1867: An assessment. Civil War History, 54(4), 347-378. Engerman, S. L. (1982). Economic adjustments to emancipation in the United States and British West Indies. The Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 13(2), 191-220. Fogel, R.W., & Engerman, S. L. (1971). The relative efficiency of slavery: A comparison of Northern and Southern agriculture. Explorations in Economic History. 8(3), 353-367. Genovese, E. D. (1962). The significance of the slave plantation for southern economic development. The Journal of Southern History, 28(4), 422-437. Phillips, U. B. (1905). The economic cost of slaveholding in the Cotton Belt. Political Science Quarterly, 20(2), 257-275. Slavin, S. L. (2001). A brief economic history of the United States. In Economics (1-4).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the south relied on the exporting of cash crops as an economic mainstay, owing to the need for a larger, more powerful labor force.
- Explains that the south devoted many resources to the building up of the slave population. the average cost to purchase a field slave in america peaked between 1,100 and 1,200 dollars of currency.
- Analyzes how the south experienced economic woes after president lincoln declared slaves free in his emancipation proclamation in 1863.
- Argues that even if slavery had not been called to an end by lincoln in 1863, the slave system of the south would not have been able to last much longer past this point.
- Explains that the south was the poorest region of the united states until as recently as the 1960’s. the cruel slave owning system resulted in the region's economic downfall.
- Explains that slavery has existed in numerous forms throughout the world for as long as there has been recorded history.
- Analyzes cairnes, meyer, eltis, and engerman's work on the u.s. transatlantic slave trade.
Related
- explanatory
- analytical
- comparative
- Slavery In The United Statesexplanatory essayThis research paper will serve to examine the development of slavery in the United States, starting from the 17th century by the colonists of Virginia. It will analyze the spread of slavery throughout the American colonies, and identify the disagreements between the North and the South. The paper will explain the daily lives of slaves, and argue how oppressing black slaves was unjust, introducing the Civil War and how it began. It will also express the Emancipation Proclamation along with the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments. This will lead to apprehend how the slaves attained their freedom.
In this essay, the author
- Explains the purpose of the research paper, which will examine the development of slavery in the united states, starting from the 17th century by the colonists of virginia.
- Explains that slavery in america began when european settlers of north america turned to african slaves as an inexpensive, more abundant source for labor than the indentured servants.
- Explains that slaves were treated as savages even before they were brought to america. during the slave trade, people were crowded together and men were chained in pairs.
- Explains that between one and two million slaves had died before reaching the new world over the centuries. those that made it to america were devastated of their lives in africa and encountered new lives as slave
- Describes how eli whitney invented the cotton gin, which could clean fifty pounds of cotton seeds in the time it took to clean one pound by hand.
- Explains that slavery was never widespread in the north. the northern states had all abolished slavery between 1777 and 1804, before congress had even banned the importation of slaves.
- Explains that field slaves worked from sunrise to sunset, and worked eighteen hours a day during harvest. pregnant women worked in the field with the child on their back.
- Explains that house slaves had better living conditions than field workers. they cleaned, cooked, served meals, and took care of the owner’s children.
- Explains that a time for great change in american life came in the first half of the 19th century. the movement to end slavery came to overshadow all others.
- Explains that the abolitionist movement gained strength and public attention during the 1830s to 1860s with the help of free blacks like frederick douglass and white supporters like william lloyd garrison.
- Explains how abolitionists were attacked, burned down, and destroyed as the movement grew. the underground railroad helped runaway slaves escape to the north from the south.
- Explains that sectional differences over slavery had divided the country, but the number of slave states and free states was balanced at eleven each, giving neither north nor south a controlling majority in the senate.
- Describes how the kansas-nebraska act opened kansas and nebraska to settlement under the banner of popular sovereignty, or rule by the people. john brown was an antislavery zealot who met violence with violence.
- Explains that dred scott was a slave in the free territory of wisconsin who tried to win his freedom legally rather than run away.
- Describes how the dred scott decision convinced abolitionists like john brown that slavery could never be terminated by legal means.
- Explains that the civil war began on april 12, 1861 when southern troops opened fire on fort sumter, a federal fort in charleston harbor.
- Explains that lincoln issued his emancipation proclamation on january 1st, 1863, and declared "all persons held as slaves within any state or designated part of a state shall be in rebellion against the united states".
- Explains that lincoln and other republicans set their focus on passing a constitutional amendment to rid slavery once and for all.
- Explains that the fourteenth amendment conferred citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the united states, including equal civil and legal rights to the former slaves who had recently been freed. the fifty-ninth amendment granted african men the right to vote.
- Concludes that slavery began in the america in 1916 and was abolished in 1865. slaves helped shape the economic foundations of a new nation.
- Cites pbs' "the african slave trade and the middle passage" and oracle foundation's "emancipation proclamation (1863).
- Describes lincoln's emancipation proclamation. council on foreign relations, 1 jan. 1863.
2073 wordsRead More - The American Civil Waranalytical essayRoark, J.L., Johnson, M.P., Cohen, P.C., Stage, S., Lawson, A., Hartmann, S.M. (2009). The american promise: A history of the united states (4th ed.), The slave south, 1820-1860, The house divided 1846-1861 (Vol. 1, pp. 434-509). Boston, MA: Bedford / St. Martin’s.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the civil war divided a nation and the outcome set the stage for how our nation still operates to this day.
- Analyzes how the south relied on slavery to sustain their economy and provide growth, while the north was more focused on equality and the fact that everyone should be equal.
- Analyzes how the attack on fort sumter was the start of the civil war that lasted from 1861 to 1865.
- Opines that slavery played a huge role in the events leading up to the civil war.
- Analyzes how the north and south disagreed on how laws should be regulated and enforced, especially regarding slavery.
- Explains roark, johnson, cohen, stage, lawson, and hartmann's the american promise: a history of the united states.
1384 wordsRead More - the development of slavery in Americaexplanatory essaySlavery was the main resource used in the Chesapeake tobacco plantations. The conditions in the Chesapeake region were difficult, which lead to malnutrition, disease, and even death. Slaves were a cheap and an abundant resource, which could be easily replaced at any time. The Chesapeake region’s tobacco industries grew and flourished on the intolerable and inhumane acts of slavery.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that slavery was the main resource used in the chesapeake region's tobacco plantations. slaves were a cheap and abundant resource, which could be easily replaced at any time.
- Describes how the colonies of virginia and maryland were settled in the early 17th century. they had limited labor and were constantly raided by native americans.
- Explains that colonists imported slaves from south america in hopes that they would live longer and be more manageable to control.
- Explains that indentured servants helped the colonies progress their population. they helped ward off native americans from attacking settlers.
- Explains that in the late 17th century, the supply of indentured servants from europe started to decrease. the labor crisis brought a lot of tension between the plantation owners
- Analyzes how the tensions between the two conflicting sides led to the bacon's rebellion in 1676. the rebellion marched to jamestown and captured it.
- Explains that africans were savages because of their rituals, religion, and skin color. virginia made a series of laws to separate themselves from their heathenness acts.
- Explains that virginia assembly ruled that if the master of a slave were to kill his slave, he would not be charged of murder. the ideals of slavery were merged into the chesapeake region in 1710.
- Explains that slavery is a direct result of the need for labor in plantations and large farms. when they turned to indenture servants the supply was low and they became rebellious after their terms were up.
1202 wordsRead More - Slavery in the Late 1700s and Early 1800s.analytical essaySlavery had a big impact on the market, but most of it was centered on the main slave crop, cotton. Primarily, the south regulated the cotton distribution because it was the main source of income in the south and conditions were nearly perfect for growing it. Cheap slave labor made it that much more profitable and it grew quickly as well. Since the development in textile industry in the north and in Britain, cotton became high in demand all over the world. The south at one point, was responsible for producing “eighty percent of the world’s cotton”. Even though the South had a “labor force of eighty-four percent working, it only produced nine percent of the nations manufactured goods”, (Davidson 246). This statistic shows that the South had an complete advantage in manpower since slavery wasn’t prohibited. In the rural South, it was easy for plantation owners to hire slaves to gather cotton be...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that there were two types of african americans slaves during the period between 1789 and 1840, either doing hard cheap labor in a plantation or free.
- Analyzes how the south profited from cotton because it was the main source of income in the south and conditions were nearly perfect for growing it.
- Explains that free and enslaved african american slaves lived completely different lives. they were paid barely anything, had horrible living conditions, and had to obey their plantation owner.
- Explains that the missouri compromise was enacted when missouri wanted to join the nation as a slave state, but it would have made it so democrats had more power than republicans in congress.
- Explains that slavery had huge impacts on the economy and early years of the united states, impacted the market, and was a major discussion of right and wrong in congressional meetings.
820 wordsRead More - Slavery in Colonial Americacomparative essaySlavery became of fundamental importance in the early modern Atlantic world when Europeans decided to transport thousands of Africans to the Western Hemisphere to provide labor in place of indentured servants and with the rapid expansion of new lands in the mid-west there was increasing need for more laborers. The first Africans to have been imported as laborers to the first thirteen colonies were purchased by English settlers in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 from a Dutch warship. Later in 1624, the Dutch East India Company brought the first enslaved Africans in Dutch New Amsterdam.
In this essay, the author
- Explains slavery became of fundamental importance in the early modern atlantic world when europeans decided to transport thousands of africans to the western hemisphere to provide labor in place of indentured servants.
- Explains that early english settlers in the lower chesapeake bay region learned to cultivate tobacco from the native americans.
- Explains that rice was one of the most intensive and extensive crops developed in colonial north america and helped shape the development of societies in south carolina and georgia.
- Explains that new england colonists acquired enormous profits from the transatlantic slave trade between england, africa and america and more so from slavery itself.
- Explains that the louisiana purchase in 1803 created four new states, louisiana, alabama, mississippi, and arkansas. the invention of the cotton gin by eli whitney in 1794 helped increase the production of cotton.
- Concludes that the foundation of american economy lay in the back breaking toil and sweat of slave labor.
846 wordsRead More - The Road to the American Civil Waranalytical essayThe North and South were forming completely different economies, and therefore completely different geographies, from one another during the period of the Industrial Revolution and right before the Civil War. The North’s economy was based mainly upon industrialization from the formation of the American System, which was producing large quantities of goods in factories. The North was becoming much more urbanized due to factories being located in cities, near the major railroad systems for transportation of the goods, along with the movement of large groups of factory workers to the cities to be closer to their jobs. With the North’s increased rate of job opportunities, many different people of different ethnic groups and classes ended up working together. This ignited the demise of the North’s social order. The South was not as rapidly urbanizing as the North, and therefore social order was still in existence; the South’s economy was based upon the production of cotton after Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin. Large cotton plantations’ production made up the bulk of America’s...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the majority of speculations regarding the causes of the american civil war are in some relation to slavery.
- Explains that the north and south were forming completely different economies and geographies during the industrial revolution and right before the civil war.
- Analyzes how the north became more urbanized and based on industry, and the south began forming an opinion that new political decisions were being made in their favor.
- Analyzes how dred scott, a slave of doctor sandford of the army, would try to establish freedom for himself and his family. the north saw this decision by the supreme court as ruling in favor of slavery.
- Explains that south carolina seceded from the union after lincoln's election and elected jefferson davis as the president of the confederacy.
- Describes the significance of jefferson davis' inauguration as president of the southern confederacy.
- Explains that popular sovereignty was an unsuccessful attempt to resolve conflicts amongst the different groups. the fugitive slave act was in no way helping to put a halt to slavery.
- Cites livingston, donald w., michael p. johnson, patricia cline cohen, sarah stage, alan lawson, susan m. hartmann, and james l. roark.
1339 wordsRead More - The American Civil War Was Inevitableanalytical essayRoark, J.L., Johnson, M.P., Cohen, P.C., Stage, S., Lawson, A., Hartmann, S.M. (2009). The american promise: A history of the united states (4th ed.), The New West and Free North 1840-1860, The slave south, 1820-1860, The house divided 1846-1861 (Vol. 1, pp. 279-354).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the civil war was inevitable in many reasons. the economic and industrial evolution was mostly in the north side of the united states while the south was just a cotton kingdom, slave empire.
- Explains that the south had a hard time producing cotton and tobacco, while the north was becoming more advanced by the second.
- Explains that the south was a one-crop economy, which depended on slavery for profit. plantation slaves produced more than 75 perfect south export crops, the backbone of the region's economy.
- Analyzes how the north's economy was based more on the city life and modern technologies. they wanted society to be more evolving and that all classes had to work together.
- Argues that black enslavement was necessary and proper, antebellum defenders argued, because africans were lesser beings.
- Explains that nullification was presented when many felt that the states should have the right to decide if they were willing to accept certain federal acts.
- Explains that the bleeding kansas erupted when an anti-slavery supporter was in a fight with the government of the south.
- Analyzes how the emancipation was in fact the act of freeing from slavery during 1810, since the southerners were worried about what everyone was doing to challenge slavery.
- Analyzes how a democratic representative from pennsylvania, david wilmot, proposed that the congress should bar slavery from the lands acquired in the war with mexico.
- Explains that the fugitive slave act was an act to seize runaway slaves. the underground railroad was a series of secret stations or hideouts on the way to canada.
- Explains that the southerners insisted on a stricter fugitive slave law that was passed as part of the compromise.
- Analyzes how harriet beecher stowe, a northerner, inspired many northerners to eliminate slavery, which made the white southerners unable to receive any sympathy in the free states.
- Opines that the civil war was inevitable because of the differences between the north and the south.
- Cites roark, johnson, cohen, stage, lawson, and hartmann's the american promise: a history of the united states.
1627 wordsRead More - Effects Of Slavery In The 19th Centuryanalytical essayIn the late 18th and early 19th centuries, slavery connected the world. Slaves were present on almost every continent and were traded frequently across the Atlantic Ocean. Various countries influenced their allies, persuading others to join the chaotic process of selling human lives. Slaves were taken from their native homeland in Africa, sold to plantation owners in the West Indies, and then shipped to their final destination: the United States of America. This was not just a bad habit or business tactic; slavery became a cruel lifestyle. Thousands of lives were altered, leaving a considerable impact on the physical, emotional, and social aspects of society. Many causes attributed to American
In this essay, the author
- Explains that slavery connected the world in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. slaves were traded frequently across the atlantic ocean.
- Explains that slavery was not a new or unusual occurrence when the african slave trade became popular in the southern part of the united states.
- Explains that europeans and slave traders played a role in promoting internal conflict. many african tribes would capture opposing tribals with the sole purpose of selling their prisoners as slaves.
- Analyzes how white plantation owners used racism and discriminatory remarks to justify their actions in america's imperialistic era.
- Explains that as the south matured into an agriculture based society, slaves were in demand as a work force. they were valued because of the generous profit margins that they provided.
- Analyzes how slavery left a significant and long-lasting legacy in africa. the cruel trade caused political instability, weakened states, promoted political and social fragmentation, and deteriorated domestic legal institutions.
- Explains that slavery affected society in a different manner. before the civil war, slavery caused large distinctions between the northern and southern parts of the united states.
- Explains that slavery changed america's morals to be replaced with hypocrisy. after the civil war and the slaves gained their freedom, politicians in the south didn't want to accept them as equals.
- Explains that slavery was one of the largest phenomena in america's early history, and its legacy can be seen today in primary artifacts, personal testimonies, southern monuments and civil war museums.
1396 wordsRead More - Slavery Synthesis Essayanalytical essayWhen one thinks of slavery, they may consider chains holding captives, beaten into submission, and forced to work indefinitely for no money. The other thing that often comes to mind? Stereotypical African slaves, shipped to America in the seventeenth century. The kind of slavery that was outlawed by the 18th amendment, nearly a century and a half ago. As author of Modern Slavery: The Secret World of 27 Million People, Kevin Bales, states, the stereotypes surrounding slavery often confuse and blur the reality of slavery. Although slavery surely consists of physical chains, beatings, and forced labor, there is much more depth to the issue, making slavery much more complex today than ever before.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that stereotypes surrounding slavery often confuse and blur the reality of slavery.
- Explains that traffickers force victims to become addicted to drugs, creating a dependency on the substance, and thus their captor.
- Opines that escaping is worth the risk, but ities are conditioned to deem trafficked individuals undependable. kloer's article explains that pimps realize that drug dependency is the easiest way to keep a child from leaving.
- Analyzes how stockholm syndrome causes the afflicted to sympathize with their captors and the feelings of normalization and obligation that rest upon a victim of trafficking.
- Opines that child slavery is a real, terrible thing that takes place all over the globe, in any given location. bales states that nearly half of all slaves today are children.
- Analyzes how the publisher, the economist, implies that keeping prostitution illegal is merely a hindrance to business, and that corralling it into licensed brothels or completely outlawing it does nothing for the "workers."
1347 wordsRead More - The Thirteenth Amendmentanalytical essayBy the mid-1850s the North had begun an Industrial Revolution that employed many people into factories. The South, who had rema...
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the thirteenth amendment has impacted our nation and provided hope and stability after coming out of a long war with slavery.
- Explains that slavery was introduced into the southern colonies around the time that jamestown was settled. many people became enslaved, especially african americans.
- Explains that eli whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793. it was designed with such small slots that when cotton was pushed through, the seeds were left behind.
- Explains that people were moving westward past the mississippi river, which raised the question of whether slavery should be allowed in the west or outlawed.
- Analyzes how the north began an industrial revolution that employed many people into factories. the south was appalled that the north criticized their ‘peculiar institution’ and stated that they took care of their workers even when they were old and sick.
- Analyzes how the north retaliated by passing the fugitive slave act in 1850, and harriet beecher stowe wrote uncle tom's cabin.
- Analyzes how the supreme court case of dred scott v. sanford in 1857 ruled that he should be a free man and not forced into slavery. chief justice roger taney's opinion was influential and important.
- Narrates how the south was outraged when they learned abraham lincoln was elected president and officially seceded from the united states.
- Explains that the civil war began on april 12, 1861 when the confederate soldiers opened fire on the union’s fort sumter. lincoln issued a preliminary emancipation proclamation while the war was going on.
- Explains that lincoln's reelection brought about the ratification of the thirteenth amendment, passed by the house of representatives on january 31, 1865 with a vote of 119 to 56.
- Opines that this amendment was an important part of getting out nation to where we are today. it gives everyone freedom and outlaws something that should have never allowed from the beginning.
- Cites battle on fort sumter, s.c., 1861. n.d. waccamaw national wildlife refuge.
730 wordsRead More