Essay Sample on Justification of Slavery in the United States and Their Effectiveness

Introduction

Slavery in America was in existence from the 17th century and lasted for almost 300 years. The slaves were mainly brought from Africa and worked in the plantation. The cotton growth was expanding, and the demand was increasing thus more slaves were needed to assist in the farm. They were mainly the backbone of the economy. Slave traders had different justification for the existence of the trade however their effectiveness was not long-lasting as it was later abolished.

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Looking at slavery, we often wonder the reason a person would wish to hold another person in bondage. The slave owners had ideas that made their choices acceptable and be considered right in society. They argued that it was natural for some people to be slaves for the greater good of the community. They believed that slaves would make their life more comfortable and being inferior they were subject to being owned like assets. The government also supported the idea of slavery has it brought economic development to their countries. It was a profitable venture as the work could be done at zero cost. The US also had argued that if they abandoned the slave trade, their rivals such as the French and the Dutch would replace them and fill the gap. With a low level of collaboration between the African countries, Africans were crueler, and on a moral basis, US and engagement in the trade were to help the people captured in war or were not accepted in the villages and sold (Olmstead 7).

The reasons were adequate for a while as the defenders of slavery argued that if the slavery ended the slaves be released, they would lead to uncontrolled unemployment and chaos. It was supported by the previous experience from the rule of terror during the French revolution. Most farmers were Christians, and in the bible people like Abraham had slaves hence termed it as divine and brought about Christianity. Also, there was an argument that the life in Africa was abysmal and comparing with being in the northern states and Africa slaves were better cared for and with a guarantee of their owner's protection, and age and old cared for was a good deal. It was argued that abolition would lead to the collapse of the economy as well as ruin countries such as Britain (Filler 25). To sum, the slaves gained skilled and learned languages such as English was an added advantage hence they used these reason to support the slavery.

According to Luis-Brown (1454), it was until the 15th-century slavery needed no justification as it was accepted as a natural thing and with the support from the bible and tradition by the Hebrew custom made slavery a norm. It did not last for long as the slaves started to come together and defend their rights. The black and white abolitionists in the start of the 19th century launched their campaign to destroy the slave trade, and their attention was too much that it posed a threat to the national unity as well as the convention of the constitutional. Many people such as the whites, slaves and religious bodies came together and formed groups that advocated for antislavery thus leading to racial and equality by the end of the 19th century.

Conclusion

In summary, there were very many reasons that advocated for slavery in the United States. These include that the white was superior to the white, the Bible had given authority for slavery, they were treating slaves better than their rivals and African countries, and with skilled, they were gaining from the slavery would assist them. However, in the 19th century, the people were more concerned with their rights, and this made them come together to fight for antislavery. The groups and abolitionists were the reason behind the abolition of slavery.

Works Cited

Olmstead, Alan L. "Antebellum US Cotton Production and Slavery in the Indian Mirror." Agricultural History 91.1 (2017): 5-38.

Luis-Brown, David. "Gerald Horne. Race to Revolution: The United States and Cuba during Slavery and Jim Crow." (2015): 1454-1455.

Filler, Louis. The crusade against slavery: 1830-1860. Routledge, 2017.