I am Samuel Adams, a slave holder, and a large plantation owner. I feel that I can speak for all the plantation owners in the South and say that we feel that there is nothing wrong with slavery. Being a slave owner for all 45 years of my life I have seen my plantation grow and the United States economy get more and more dependant on cotton from my plantation. Over the past 40 years the ability for me to buy slaves at auctions has made me capable of doubling by plantation size. Now I own 100 slaves, all either working the cotton gin or picking cotton in the fields. These slaves have made me and many other plantation owners in the South rich.
They have also promoted westward expansion for many of my buddies. My friend James Swanson just bought a plantation out in the West easily twice the size of his plantation here in Georgia. He was able to do this because of the large amount of slaves that he has. Here in the South we provide slaves with food, clothing, and shelter; something that is not provided to the blacks in the North. Slaves are better off in the South because they have a place to live, and they have food to eat. Abolitionists have been trying to free our slaves but they have no right to do this. Owning slaves is a god given right and the Bible justifies it. It has been around for thousands of years. Slaves are not only important to the South they are needed to keep the American economy strong.
The Essay on Male Slave Slaves Plantation South
Antebellum is defined at Dictionary. com as 'Belonging to the period before a war, especially the American Civil War.' 1 In the Antebellum period in the South, many people owned slaves. In the south, plantations were 'the most basic unit and the most vital element of the Southern antebellum economy.' 2 But at the heart of these plantations were the slaves. So vicariously, the slaves of the South ...
The American economy is based on the labor of the slaves; the abolishing of slavery would be devastating to the American economy, and would eliminate westward expansion. Three of the nation’s largest crops, cotton, tobacco, and rice, are profitable only because of slave labor. Such a large amount of workers are needed, that slavery is one of our only options that would not cost more than the money they we make from our cash crops themselves. Slavery is cheaper because the slaves work consistently, as opposed to laborers of the North who are in constant competition of each other. The slaves produce large amount of cotton which keeps the American economy running. In 1800, about 18 million pounds of cotton was exported for a profit of 5 million dollars, which was about 7% of the country’s exports. In 1860, about 300 million pounds of cotton was sold for an enormous sum of 190 million dollars, which was close to 57% of the nation’s exports. This was able to be done because of massive amounts of slave labor.
The slave population increased dramatically in these years. In 1790 there were 600,000 slaves in the South, but by in 1860 there were 3.9 million slaves. It is shown here that the increase in slave labor was the major reason for the dramatic increase in cotton production. Large-scale cotton cultivation and slavery grew together as the slave population in the south nearly doubled from 1810 to 1830. If slavery were to be outlawed, these crops would eventually fail, causing an economic turmoil, not only in the South but in the entire nation. As Henry Dodson said, “By the 1830s, ‘cotton was king’ indeed in the South. It was also king in the United States, which was competing for economic leadership in the global political economy.” Slaves benefit the entire country. Without slaves, profits for the South made from exports would plummet.
Not only would this hurt the South but the North would also be greatly affected because the only way many of the industrial workers in the North could afford clothing was to wear those made of the cheap cotton imported from the South. The slave labor made the South and the rest of the country prosperous; by 1860 the South consisted of the twelve wealthiest counties in the nation. All this wealth promoted westward expansion. Increasingly, large plantation owners started moving westward, buying land and turning the area from Vicksburg to Nanchez into immensely large plantations. Small slave owners gathered profits for sold land and ended up buying more slaves. The cheap slave labor is one of the main reasons my buddies moved to the West. They felt that the only limiting factor was the amount of land. The labor supply is unlimited.
The Essay on Slaves South Slavery Union
... cheap labor of slaves. In effect, the slaves were running the economy for the South. Without the slaves to ... the Declaration of Independence. If something like slavery wasn't outlawed in any legal document, they ... upon slave labor. They didn't have the high quality machinery we have today so a large ... labor. Well, the farmers didn't like it and the slaves were working quite well. They would pick cotton ...
Having slaves work for a master is a God given right and it shall be exercised. The Bible states in Colossians 3:22 “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.” Slaves are to obey their owners as well as do their work thoroughly. Slaves are a part of Christianity, without slavery the Christian religion could not be properly exercised. Slavery is justified by the Bible therefore it is correct.
That Bible also states in Colossians 4:1, “Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.” This is exactly what we have done. Many owners, like me, provide education to the black children. I know a friend of mine, Joseph Davis, lets his slaves use his personal library. One of the slave boys named, Benjamin Montgomery, has now become a skilled mechanic. If these blacks were freed they would not have these types of resources to access. Many blacks in the North do not have enough money to buy themselves clothes, food, and shelter. Down here in the South we provide them with all of these necessities. The relationship between slaves and owners is just like the ideal one stated in the Bible.
Many abolitionists say that we treat slaves with no respect and we beat them excessively. They say that we overwork them, poorly dress them, keep them housed inadequately, and punish them cruelly. They say that the slave families rarely stay together. In most cases all this is not true. Of course there are some isolated cases of beatings. But slaves are rarely overworked. Marriages are seldom broken by sale, and most slaves are able to maintain stable family lives. Humans are not perfect and there are mistakes made. But the important part is that we Southerners take care of our mistakes in a gentleman like fashion. If slaves are productive, like they are supposed to be, then I provide them with small garden plots and permit them to sell their produce. Some of my friends distribute gifts of food or money at the end of the year.
The Essay on Douglass Slaves Slave Slavery
Fredrick Douglass was a former slave, talented writer and outspoken abolitionist. Douglass was a slave from Tuckahoe, Maryland who fled to New York and than later on to Massachusetts. He was born into slavery and was officially sent to a plantation to work at the age of seven. Prior to working in the fields he, as well as other slave children, was raised by an older woman. This was commonplace for ...
The slaves are given job opportunities, “Some slaves advance, becoming blacksmiths, carpenters, or gin operators, and others serve as cooks, butlers and dining-room attendants.” We do all this for our slaves and Abolitionists exaggerate the few isolated incidents that occur. The South is better off for the blacks rather than the North. Many African Americans in the South benefit from opportunities denied by the North. Working conditions for the slaves off the plantation generally stay at a tolerable level compared to that of a factory. Abolitionists want freedom for the slaves in the South. By getting freedom the blacks will only be worse off. They would have to labor hard in terrible factory conditions in which there life would be in danger. By working in the plantations they have the opportunity to live a much safer life. Abolitionists do not realize the impact have on the American Economy.
Slavery in the South keeps the American economy running. Without the heavy exports of cotton the American economy would be nothing. Slavery is the future of the country. The North will end up understanding that slavery is necessary for the country to run with great success.
