Antebellum Slavery

The most recent topic we have been discussing in class is the resurge of slavery in the early 19th century. In doing this, two specific aspects were focused upon: how, economically and politically, slavery became entrenched in American society, and also the ways in which slavery has negative impacts on the human being. In order to complete this task, we examined the constitution, looked at slave population in relation to total revenue, and then discussed various individuals involved in the slave trade. In the end, slavery became entrenched in the United States due to the constitution and the economic benefit. In addition to this, slavery sacrifices human interest in exchange for profit, and slaves are treated in an inhumane way.

Slavery became entrenched in the United States for both political and economic reasons. In a political sense, slavery is a part of the constitution, and in several clauses slavery is specifically mentioned. For example, in Article 4, Section 2, Clause 3, it is stated that, “No Person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence of any Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service or Labour, but shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due”. Though this refers to slaves not having the ability to escape from their owners, others mention taxes relating to the slave trade as well as a slave’s representation in Congress. Due to all of these, slavery was simply a part of the United States, with as much importance as any other law or practice.

In addition to this political explanation, slavery also became entrenched through the economic benefits provided. A big factor of slavery’s contribution to the economy was the cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney in 1792. The cotton gin removed seeds from cotton bolls, greatly increasing a process which had previously involved slaves hand-picking each individual seed. With the cotton gin came a greater need for slaves, however, due to the economic benefits of a greater cotton production. In 1790, close to the time when the cotton gin was invented, there were approximately 690,000 total slaves in the United States. In this period, 1.5 million pounds of cotton were produced. In 1860, 70 years later, there were around 3,954,000 total slaves, a 473% increase, with 2.28 billion pounds of cotton produced, a 151,900% increase. Cotton exports produced $191.8 million, 57% of the nation’s total export revenue. While the south clearly used slavery to their economic advantage, the north also benefitted from the abundance of cotton. Without the boom in cotton production, the industrial revolution may not have had such a strong effect, as the supply may not have been able to keep up with demand.

With the economic benefits of slavery comes a morality grey area, with many different viewpoints as to what is acceptable and what is not in regards to treatment. Four specific individuals of the antebellum period stand out as having four very different viewpoints: John Brown, George Fitzhugh, Frederick Douglass and Prince Abdul Rahman. John Brown was squarely on the side of anti-slavery, and led many violent protests in attempts to make change. He believed in using violent means to end slavery, with the intent of slave revolt. One particularly violent example of such an occurrence was the raid of the federal arsenal in Harper’s Island, Virginia. The raid was unsuccessful, and Brown was captured and hanged. Even so, the response from northerners and southerners speaks to the contrast in viewpoints. While those in the north supported Brown's actions and believed him to be a martyr for the anti-slavery cause, those in the south denounced his motive and were outraged by his actions.

Contrary to John Brown, George Fitzhugh grew up on a plantation and was pro-slavery. In Fitzhugh's mind, there was no moral issue surrounding slavery, because all slaves were content with what they were doing in their lives. In his book Cannibals Alll or Slaves Without Masters, he wrote, "The negro slaves of the south are the happiest, and in some sense, the freest people of the world. The children and the aged infirm work not at all, and yet have all the comforts and necessities of life provided for them". According to Fitzhugh, slaves were happy due to having no responsibilities and having everything given to them by their owners.

Unlike John Brown and George Fitzhugh, Frederick Douglass was not born a free man. He was born into slavery and had to educate himself, breaking the law in the process. He escaped from his owner twice, successful in his second attempt. After gaining freedom, Douglass became an active abolitionist, not afraid to voice his opinion and to spread his ideas to the public. In a speech he gave on July 5, 1882 in Rochester NY, Douglass proclaimed, “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer, a day day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him your celebration is a scam... a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages”. By saying this, Douglass brings up a viewpoint that was seldom heard in the period, due to slaves having no say. That, despite efforts to free slaves, the nation as a whole is at extreme fault for being involved in the slave trade and using slaves to its advantage.

It is safe to say that Prince Abdul Rahman of Futa Jallon, Africa had an altogether unique perspective, as shown in the film Prince Among Slaves. Taken from his homeland and sold for food, guns and rum, he endured an unimaginable life filled with pain and struggle. He is an example of how slavery can rip away every shred of human dignity. Upon arriving to his owner’s plantation, he was forced to cut his hair, which in Africa had been a sign of nobility. Also, later in life, after escaping and then returning due to the realization that he had nowhere else to turn to, his owner’s wife put her foot on his face, which was a war symbol of submission. Lastly, even upon being granted freedom, Rahman had few options as to how he could reconstruct his life. While a slave he had married a woman named Isabella and had children. Later on, he and Isabella had been granted freedom, while their children had not been. In the attempt to earn money to free their children, Isabella and Prince Abdul became sick, and had only raised half of the funds necessary to free their children before they were put under pressure to leave the U.S.. Rahman died four months after departing, and never made it back to Futa Jallon.