Justifications for the Institution of Slavery during the Antebellum Era Essay

In Chapter 11, it was stated that Slavery is primarily a labor system intended to recrudesce wealth for landownersIt increasingly became a free-enterprise(prenominal) enterprise intended to maximize profits. As such, it was tied to a growing multinational web of economic relations. By 1820, the southern near became the worlds largest producer of cotton. like required continuous development, land, labor invite and a global system of trade. As such, it depended increasingly on the buckle down-establish economy. However, the Upper southerly was experiencing a long depression and it modify prices.To survive, either the planters move or hold fast and diversify. Diversification designatet shifting to grains and to selling slaves. Soon, the intragroup slave trade became a multi-million dollar mark industry. Until the 1830s, slavery was explained as a incumbent evil. However, the c any for abolition of slavery was meet stronger and they had to change their acknowledgment for maintaining slaves to make it more(prenominal) acceptable. The Southerners started to label slavery as a positive good. They based their justifications on atomic number 23 sources the bible, history, the Constitution, science and sociology.The biblical justification makes graphic symbol to the curse imposed upon Ham, Noahs watchword and the various verses from both the Old and mod Testament reprimanding servants to always obey their masters. For its historic justification, they pointed out that all ancient civilizations were based on it and most likely til now the current civilization depended on the servitude of the blacks in America. The Constitution was their reference to its legal justification which refused to abolish slavery and various laws passed defend it such as the overseas slave trade and mandate for returning slaves to just owners.They also turned to science and squirm the data an conclusions to justify that blacks were an inferior conk out based on the c ranial put to take a leak and size and must, therefore, submit to their destiny to work for the superior Caucasians. Lastly, the sociological justification was do more clear by the enateistic statement as advocated by George Fitzhugh that the blackness is but a grown infant and must be governed as a child and so needed the paternal guidance, restraint and protection of a unobjectionable master. Be that as it may, to free the blacks would mean giving up our beautiful ground to the ravages of the black race and amalgamation of the savages. On the humanitarian side, they said that it would be flinty to release them especially after sightedness that the blacks can only be industrial laborers working like slaves for meager cede from which they will get hold of to use to have for shelter, food and clothing.They will be a burden to the white people who have to compete for the same job and a burden to themselves for having to fend for themselves without the nurturing protecti on of a master. These justifications were had to be well-thought of so that it would not run contrary to the prevailing ideological directions of the American society at that time which espoused individualistic liberty, mobility, economic opportunity and democratic political participation. Moreover, they cannot afford to antagonize the probably green-eyed non-slave owning whites that they had to emphasize white superiority no matter of class. The truth of the matter is that behind all these justifications, the real motive is money. By 1860, the cut back per value of a slave is $125. Enslaved women make up their value whenever they give birth to healthy children. A prime field player which sold for $600 in 1844 can go as high as $1800 adjacent a cotton boom. All things told, what mattered most is that slavery is profitable.