What arguments would an antebellum abolitionist make against slavery?
Main abolitionist arguments
- The abolitionists put forward various arguments to support their cause of banning the slave trade.
- Some argued that British industry no longer depended so heavily on the slave trade.
- Slaves were denied their freedom and their human rights.
- The Bible taught that people should treat each other with kindness and love.
What was the main argument that Southerners made in defense of slavery?
At the same time, southern intellectuals began to defend slavery as a positive factor. After 1830, white Southerners stopped referring to slavery as a necessary evil. Instead, they argued that it was a beneficial institution that created a hierarchical society superior to the leveling democracy of the North.
What does antebellum have to do with slavery?
As slavery began to displace indentured servitude as the principal supply of labor in the plantation systems of the South, the economic nature of the institution of slavery aided in the increased inequality of wealth seen in the antebellum South.
How did the abolition of slavery affect the economy?
Between 1850 and 1880 the market value of slaves falls by just over 100% of GDP. Former slaves would now be classified as “labor,” and hence the labor stock would rise dramatically, even on a per capita basis. Either way, abolishing slavery made America a much more productive, and hence richer country.
What role did slavery have in the Industrial Revolution?
The Slave Trade’s Significance Slavery played a crucial role in the development of the modern world economy. Slaves provided the labor power necessary to settle and develop the New World. Slaves also produced the products for the first mass consumer markets: sugar, tobacco, coffee, cocoa, and later cotton.
Why was slavery more important in the South?
Slavery was so profitable, it sprouted more millionaires per capita in the Mississippi River valley than anywhere in the nation. With cash crops of tobacco, cotton and sugar cane, America’s southern states became the economic engine of the burgeoning nation.
Did slavery benefit the North?
“The North did not benefit from slavery. It’s a Southern thing.” Slavery developed hand-in-hand with the founding of the United States, weaving into the commercial, legal, political, and social fabric of the new nation and thus shaping the way of life of both the North and the South.
How did the North view slavery?
Most white northerners viewed blacks as inferior. Northern states severly limited the rights of free African Americans and discouraged or prevented the migration of more. There was a minority of northerners called abolitionists who were vocal about ending slavery.