Proslavery arguments were the justifications proslavery propagators used to justify the institution of slavery. The period that saw the rise of these arguments was the 1830s through to the 1860s as the abolitionist movement gained ground and made their concerns more visible to the nation. This essay examines the theories proslavery propagators used to justify the institution of slavery and also slaves' view of the practice. All factors considered, the South's position on slavery was mainly for self-preservation and to protect their economic interests that were mainly supported by slave labor.Slavery Theories
Proslavery theorists were champions of a contemporary, class-sensitive American antebellum society. Their view was that having landless poor people in the community was one of the reasons leading to societal failure. A population of landless poor, they argued, could very easily fall prey to manipulation and this meant an unstable society. Thus, they saw that the biggest threat posed to stability and democracy was a rise of landless poor as this could cause class warfare. [footnoteRef:1] [1: ibid]
"Mudsill theory" supposed that there has to be a lower class upon which the upper class rests. One wealthy plantation owner in the south, James Henry Hammond, used the theory to explain his position on theory justifying it by saying that the slaves willingness to do menial work allowed higher classes help advance civilization. Thus, race or class equality efforts would hinder the advancement of civilization. [footnoteRef:2] [2: ibid]
Proslavery theorists in the South argued that the existence of slavery ensured that there were no attempts at race equality or class equality and also ensured that the landless poor were not engaged in the political process. Their lack of participation in the political process would ensure that those who were the most likely to undermine the process or threaten democracy were kept aloof from the processes. Their mindset was that slavery was good as it protected the interests of all parties -- the society, the masters, and even the slaves. [footnoteRef:3] [3: ibid]
Positive Good
John C. Calhoun gave a speech in 1837 to the Senate arguing for the "positive good" school of thought on slavery and stated that slavery was not...
S. after the slavery period. In spite of the gravity that his statements have, the author insists that the U.S. is always going to be guilty for having destroyed black people through convincing them that they had been inferior. In contrast to Elkins, McPherson does not wish to condemn an entire nation for the atrocities committed by a number of people during a time when circumstances had led them in acting
The first Great Awakening in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries became a harbinger of the later, more vocal and radical abolitionist movements. The Maryland Abolition Society was another early abolitionist group. Some abolitionist movements espoused violent means to obtain full freedom for slaves, and John Brown is one of the most notorious advocates of radical means. In 1817, a group of wealthy white males founded the American Colonization
Dr. Brown write comparison contrast slavery enslaved men women antebellum period. My thesis -- I feel slavery antebellum period hard women sold family, raise master-s children, serve concubine. In addition sources listed, students utilize 2 books 3 scholarly journal articles inform research. There is much controversy regarding slavery and how it affected men and women during the antebellum period. While slaves were generally discriminated on account of their race, women were
Slavery in America The Beginning of Slavery The first year that African slaves were brought to Colonial America was reported to be 1619 (Vox, 2012). The ship that docked at Point Comfort, in Jamestown Virginia, was owned by the Dutch. The Dutch crew was said to be starving and they wanted to make a trade with the colonists -- slaves for food, Vox explains in The New York Times-owned publications About.com. There
racialized slavery change in the early-19th century south? How and/or why were non-Slave holders invested in slavery? On what grounds did antebellum southerners defend slavery? Slavery was not always a racialized category in the Americas. Many Americans emigrated to the U.S. As indentured servants: these were whites who worked without pay in exchange for learning a trade or their passage overseas. However, gradually, the plantation economy of the south fostered
The Civil War was one of the most defining events in the nation’s history, and at the time was the most important event since the American Revolution. Whereas the Revolution embodied the ideals, values, and principles of the new nation, setting it apart from the British Crown and forever altering the geopolitical landscape, the Civil War revealed the persistent hypocrisy that continues to plague American society. Unresolved conflicts left brewing
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