SOUTHERN JUSTIFICATION OF SLAVERY.   Term Paper ID:28622 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Southern intellectuals justiications based on physiological, racial, social, religioius, cultural & economic leveles. Argument that slavery was a more benevolent institution than Capitalism.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Southern intellectuals justiications based on physiological, racial, social, religioius, cultural & economic leveles. Argument that slavery was a more benevolent institution than Capitalism. Paper Introduction: In spite of the process of emancipation and criticism against slavery, the South hung onto slavery even after the Revolutionary Period (Moore 140). At first, they defended the institution of slavery as a necessary evil. However, in time, the South, through the voice of the intellectuals, wove an impressive web of justifications. It not only defended the institution, but extolled it as an ideal system to be emulated by all societies. In their complete embrace of slavery, these intellectuals justified the institution on several levels: physiological, racial, social, religious, cultural and economic. By pointing out the physiological and racial differences from the whites, the doctors and scientists of the South played a large part in undermining the humanity of the slaves. This “knowledge” set the stage for the justification of the Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Slaveholdersfelt that blacks were "part idiot, part madman and child." Therefore, theyshould not be considered capable of taking care of themselves (Robinson75). Furthermore, Fitzhugh painted an idyllic picture of the slave'sexistence in the South. According to these principles, the rich man wouldnecessarily hire the man who asked for the least wages. By pointing out the physiological and racial differences from thewhites, the doctors and scientists of the South played a large part inundermining the humanity of the slaves. In some of the smaller plantations, some slaves even had closerelationships with their masters and shared the latter's concern in theaffairs of the plantations (Moore 64). Because of thetechnical simplicity of the work, slaves of all ages could be employed. These investigations further confirmed the prevalent perceptions ofthe South that blacks belonged to an inferior race without any sense ofcivilization (Calhoun 18). Therefore, the blacks had greater animal appetites(Cartwright 142-143). "The Political Economy of Slavery." McKitrick 69-85.Stringfellow, Thornton. Afterall, the most profitable condition for the capitalists in the capitalisticsociety was to acquire the greatest amount of labor at the lowest possiblewages (Ruffin 78). Onlywith the use of black people for labor could the white masters have enoughleisure to devote themselves to improve their mental development and refinetheir manners (Ruffin 74-5). Furthermore, Stringfellow emphasizedthat Jesus Christ did not abolish slavery with any command. One way that the South tried to justify its oppression of the slaveswas by degrading their humanity and highlighting their difference fromwhite people. With this harmonious image, the South considered the institution ofslavery to be a panacea for the problems of capitalism and a savior of theWestern economy. Without slavery,the white and black people could never live side by side together.Consequently, the conflicts between the two races would result in thecomplete destruction of the region (Calhoun 18). Clearly, slavery played a tremendous part instimulating the development of capitalism in Europe, generating new marketsfor the growing European industry (Fox-Genovese and Genovese 392-393).Thus, according to the South, the North had no right protesting againstslavery because it was a beneficiary of the slave labor. Furthermore, cotton could be produced efficiently onthe plantations because of several characteristics. Thecommon rules and values used to assess the needs and interests for whitesshould not be used to apply to the blacks (Moore 141). In the North, thecreation of a new social system without slavery had only resulted in thedeterioration of the lives of the working classes. The cotton plantswere also low enough for the supervisors to scrutinize the workers (Moore58). Any thing that served the white man was declared toalso benefit the black man as well. First, the productionof cotton was broken down into simple, repetitive tasks that could beeasily divided between the large numbers of slaves. For example, inthe 35th verse of Genesis xxiv, God had given riches to Abraham; "theservants" were included as part of the riches. Infact, the Chief Justice Taney of the United States Supreme Court reaffirmedthis racial prejudice in a legal statement. In their complete embrace of slavery, these intellectualsjustified the institution on several levels: physiological, racial, social,religious, cultural and economic. Southern whites made many rationalizations for their status andcontrol over the men and women of black colored skin. Degraded and alone, hemight attempt to wreak revenge on the white people, thus provoking ajustifiable attack on him by the white people (Dew 3 -31). In addition, the Southern intellectuals of the South also highlightedthe difficulties produced by capitalist system up north. Southern intellectuals also found support for the institution ofslavery in the scriptures. Crime, poverty, riotsand strikes were a regular part of the lives of the people in the North(Fitzhugh 35). Genovese. New York: The Third P, 1971.Robinson, Donald L. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1963.Calhoun, John C. And it was the Southern whites conviction that by inheriting God'snatural order, whites were racially superior to blacks. Therefore, there would never be any cause for labor-capitalconflicts (Calhoun 19). The passage of two legislations providedconcrete evidence of the South's perception that blacks were raciallyinferior: laws prohibiting interracial miscegenation and laws handicappingcivil and legal rights of all Blacks, whether free or enslaved.Essentially, these legislations sought to reinforce the superiority andprivileges of white people and elevate them above blacks (Moore 86-9 ). While the world wasdependent on the South's cotton crop, the cries against slavery weresilenced. Thus, slaveryprotected the weak from disintegrating into barbaric and destructiveindividuals who could not take care of themselves (Fitzhugh 49). Contrary to the North that was perpetually plagued by the conflictsbetween labor and capital, Calhoun depicted the South with an image ofpeace and happiness. The Many Faces of Slavery. Dew stated that a free black represented the animalistic aspect ofhumanity. In spite of the process of emancipation and criticism againstslavery, the South hung onto slavery even after the Revolutionary Period(Moore 14 ). For theslaveholders, the slaves formed a part of the social hierarchy: slavesshould be subordinate to their masters, just as children were subordinateto their parents (Robinson 75). They never suffered from want of food and couldmarry whenever they pleased. Slavery Defended: The Views of the Old South. Therefore, slaveryprevented the occurrence of the violence and conflicts that were plaguingfrom the North (Dew 31). American Slavery: 1619-1877. From the anatomical descriptions of the heads, the blacks also camefrom a different species (Cartwright 139-14 ). Oxford: Oxford UP, 1983.Gordon, John Steele. Therefore, the cotton product not only saved theSouthern economy, but also the entire American economy. This "knowledge" set the stage forthe justification of the oppression of slaves. Under the principles of free competition, liberty andequality, the new society deliberately encouraged each individual to actselfishly by getting ahead at the expense of others (Fitzhugh 36). A half million workers died in one year inIreland; under slavery, no slave would ever die of starvation ordeprivation (Fitzhugh 38). Like the South,slavery also existed in the religious Roman provinces (Stringfellow 94-95). Working together in the fields anddoing other jobs on the farms, the owners and the slaves often formed closepersonal ties with one another (Levine 139). Apart from other externalcharacteristics ranging from the nostrils, lips to the sensations,Cartwright stated that the brain of blacks was one-tenth smaller than thatof the Europeans. Through their comprehensive and elaborate justifications, the Southglorified its role in the oppression of black people. On the other hand, since the blacks were racially inferior, they didnot have any high and refined aspirations. "Review of the Debate in the Virginia Legislature." McKitrick 2 -33.Fitzhugh, George. From every perspective, the South could justify the establishment ofthe institution of slavery. Essentially, they did not need to worry about food,clothing or shelter for themselves or for their families. As a result of these social arrangements, Fitzhugh pointed out thatthe South was free from crime, strikes and poverty (47). American Negro Slavery and Abolition. For the South, slavery also served an important cultural purpose forthe refined white people of a superior nature to the black slaves. For these intellectuals and the slaveholders,the slave system was a reflection of natural order that was even blessed byGod. Works CitedFox-Genovese, Elizabeth, and Eugene D. In the South, every plantation consisted of acommunity headed by the master who wielded control over both labor andcapital. According to Taney, blacksbelonged to "an inferior order and ...[were] unfit to associate with thewhite race"; therefore, it was fair and legal for them to be treated asproperty and sold as slaves (Moore 91). On a Southern farm, all slaves were taken care offrom birth until old age. Most importantly, slavery underpinned the success of the Southerneconomy. Consequently, theliving condition of the workers continued to worsen (Fitzhugh 36-37). " "Mud-Sill" Speech." McKitrick 121-125.Ruffin, Edmund. It not onlydefended the institution, but extolled it as an ideal system to be emulatedby all societies. Furthermore, the institution of slavery had strengthenedthe spread of capitalism in Europe, leading to the creation of a highdemand for cotton and other staple products from plantations all over theworld (Christy 113). Fruits of Merchant Capital: Slavery and Bourgeois Property in the Rise and Expansion of Capitalism. Therefore, the slaves' crude andbase needs were more than satisfied by the generosity of their masters. Ultimately, it was the world's dependence on cotton, producedby slave labor that was instrumental in fully justifying the existence ofslave labor. "The Prognathous Species of Mankind." McKitrick 139- 147.Christy, David. Advocating the "scientific" race theory, doctors like Dr.Samuel Cartwright, tried to justify slavery by delineating the distinctiveracial characteristics of blacks. In fact, during this period, America was losing its competition inits original exports of rice, sugar and tobacco to former colonies in theNew World (Gordon 18). For example, they claimed that blacklabor freed time up for the white masters to hone their moral, intellectualand artistic skills. Through the use ofslave labor, massive amounts of cotton could be produced-a product that hadrevived the capitalist economy all over the world. Stringfellow indicated several passages in thescriptures where people who were blessed by God had slaves. And again, they rationalized slavery asbenefiting the black people as well, for they declared that there were nostarving families and crime as a result of slavery. With the slaves, the South had an inferior race thatwas physically adapted to tolerate the climate and endure the rigors of thework (Hammond 122). They justified theirexploitation of their labor, professing that with the white race being thesuperior race, black labor was designed to benefit what was in the whiteman's best interests. "Speech on the Importance of Domestic Slavery." McKitrick 16-17.Cartwright, Samuel. New York: Julian Messner, 1975.McKitrick, Eric L., ed. The South also pointed to the economic difficulties of the Blacks inthe North and attributed the problems to their emancipation. Nonetheless, slaveholdersconsidered their system of slavery a more benevolent institution thancapitalism. According to his investigations,Cartwright discovered that unlike the heads of the Caucasians and theMongolians, the head of blacks resembled most closely to the head of themonkey. Slavery in the Structure of American Politics 1765- 1812. In addition, theexport of cotton to Europe and to the Northern part of the country providedthem with the raw materials to create new commodities, thus stimulatingtheir industrialization and modernization processes (Fox-Genovese andGenovese 261-262). New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanich, 1971. "Cotton is King." McKitrick 111-12 .Dew, Thomas R. Thelong growing season ensured that the slaves would be working constantly,therefore making the enterprise even more profitable. Slaves did not have to compete with oneanother to get work. According to thewhite people in the South, the system of slavery was ideal for theproduction of cotton. Therefore, whitesoccupied a higher position in the hierarchy and could legitimately controlthe black slaves. "King Cotton." American Heritage 43.5 (1992): 18-2 .Kolchin, Peter. Through the eyes of the Southern white masters, there wereno major conflicts between capital and labor, as there was with the freedblack men in the North and Europe. Fitzhughconceived of their loss of independence in a paternalistic fashion. Thus, Stringfellowhighlighted the fact that the servants were treated like property, as inthe institution of slavery (88-89). Thus,a world of inequality was created in which employers exploited workers withno care for their lives. New York: Hill and Wang, 1993.Levine, I. "Sociology for the South." McKitrick 34-5 .Hammond, James Henry. Without the existence of the large number of slaves to engage inthe labor-intensive work, the widespread cotton cultivation that drove theAmerican economy could not have occurred (Kolchin 191). "A Scriptural View of Slavery." McKitrick 86-98.Moore, Wilbert E. Themaster would take care of their slaves as weak and dependent individuals,as though they were his wife and children (Fitzhugh 44-45). E. Without the civilizing influence of white society, he woulddeteriorate into a lazy and destructive person. At first, they defended the institution of slavery as anecessary evil. In fact, Ruffin referred to the glorioushistorical artistic works from Egypt and Hindostan to justify his pointthat all these works could not be conceived without the use of slave laborthat allowed their masters time to create these works (Ruffin 75-6). Concomitantly, the white masters were able to satisfythe simpler and base needs of their black slaves. However, in time, the South, through the voice of theintellectuals, wove an impressive web of justifications. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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