Antebellum Slavery: Unmoral, Undignified, and Entrenched

Slavery in 19th century America was a crucial part in the economic prosperity of the nation. In 1792, Eli Whitney invented the Cotton Gin, a machine that removed seeds from raw cotton. This made cotton production much easier, and therefore caused cotton production to boom. This caused more slaves to be demanded, and caused the cost of slaves to go up. Slavery, something that had seemed to be dying out had been given a second, and growing life thanks to the cotton gin. Just two years after the invention, the cost of slaves had doubled, and the number of slaves was increasing rapidly. 

In 1860, the United States was extremely reliant on the economic effects of cotton. In the 70 years before, the production of cotton had exponentially increased, from producing 1.5 million pounds in 1790 to 2.28 billion pounds in 1860. It produced 196.8 million dollars and represented 57% of the nations total export revenue. With the increase in cotton, there was an increase in slavery as well. In 1790 the slave population was about 690,000 and by 1860 it had boomed to 3,945,000. Although slaves were only present in the south, they benefitted the northern economy as well. Industrialization was a big aspect of the northern states, and therefore they needed to be supplied with cotton. Even though they themselves did not have slaves, the took the souths slave labored cotton to help them with their economy.

This photo shows the spread of cotton and slavery in1800. The spread of cotton was just beginning, so it hadn't had a very large effect on slavery, although it did spread slavery quite a lot. 

This picture shows the spread of cotton and slavery in 1860. Cotton had spread a lot throughout the south, and the spread of slavery grew even faster, the south being covered in slavery throughout all the states.

Slavery in the U.S differed from slavery in other cultures because it was based on racial distinctions. In Futa Jallon, slaves were often prisoners of war, and if a person was muslim they could not be a slave. The children of a free man and a slave were free, and slaves could own property and use the gardens for themselves in addition for their owner, whom they had little contact with. In the U.S, slaves did not have full control over their lives and even though they made up a large percentage of the population, they were owned by only a few wealthy plantation owners. Slavery was defined by race, an entire race of people being subjected to a less than human definition, losing all dignity they may have formerly had. A system based on race tends to ignore many of the basic characteristics we as people tend to follow when treating others. Empathy was something all slave owners failed to understand, because if they understood how slaves felt they would never subject them to those treatments.

In class we looked at three different men who spoke out on their opinions on slavery. The first man we looked at was George Fitzhugh, a Virginia judge who was clear about his love of slavery. He believed that blacks were inferior to whites, and believed that slavery was a better option for them than being free. He explained this by saying that a free laborer works longer and harder than a slave, and gets lets benefits (a place to live, food to eat) He thought that slaves were more free than the free laborer was. His illogical beliefs made him so well known hat he went to the north to share his beliefs, and the northerners were horrified by his complete support of slavery. The next man that we looked at was Fredrick Douglas, a former slave and civil rights activist. On independence day, he gave a speech bashing the celebratory day, because it celebrated freedom and liberty that slaves could never have. The last man we looked at was John Brown, who was extreme in his actions against slavery. He believed that to end slavery violence was necessary, and he murdered many slave owners. Although people supported his cause of ending slavery, few supported the harsh and violent way that he went about it, and he was viewed as a mad man. His horrifying actions divided the north and south even further. These men may show extreme examples and may not represent the majority, but at their core they represent the beliefs of their people. George Fitzhugh, southerners and slave owners, Fredrick Douglas, freed northern slaves, and John Brown, abolitionists who wanted to do whatever they could to end slavery.



Sources:

Maps: http://mappinghistory.uoregon.edu/english/US/US18-03.html

Fredrick Douglas' Speech: Frederick Douglass, "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro", a speech delivered in Rochester, New York, July 5, 1852

A Never Ending Battle: Equality of the Sexes

It is common in todays world to discuss the lack of equality between the sexes and brainstorm ideas to help create equality once and for all. Something that is not discussed as often is where the fight began. Of course, this has been an issue for as long we have had society, but the first major change in America happened in the middle of the 19th centuries. We learned about how change was brought about, and what specifically the women were fighting to change. The Rights of Women: Laws and Practices explains the oppression and inequality that women faced in this time period. We also looked at multiple newspaper articles reacting to the Seneca Falls convention for women's equality, which showed the support the campaign had as well some peoples misogynistic views.


In the middle of the 19th century, a woman's place was in the kitchen. Cooking, cleaning, and taking care of her children was the extent of what she was thought to be capable of. In todays world these may seem like things from the distant past, but it is important to learn about and understand them in order to continue the fight for equality. The first women's rights convention that was held in the united states took place in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848. The convention created quite a buzz around the country and differing views on the event came to light. Some newspapers came out with articles defending the convention, in favor of women receiving more rights. An example of this is the National Reformer article on August 31st, 1848: "But to be serious- we would like to be informed why- we would ask for one valid reason why women should be deprived of her equal rights as an intelligent being. We have never seen one reason attempted." Other articles have vastly different views, strongly against the movement and women receiving equal rights. Their argument (however flawed) is "If our ladies insist on voting and legislating, where, gentlemen, will be our dinners and our elbows? Where our domestic firesides and holes in our stockings?" ; says an article published in the Oneida Whig on August 1st, 1848.

In 2015, we are miles away from the discrimination that women received in the 19th century, but unfortunately we are also nowhere near complete equality. In the US there is still a wage gap between men and women doing the same work, and women are looked down upon for doing the same things as men. In class we watched a Pantene commercial that brought to light some of the unfair labels women must live with everyday. For example, the commercial shows a man and a woman, both presumably CEOs of a large company, and while the man is viewed as the boss, strong, smart, and powerful, the woman is viewed as bossy, rude, and controlling. This is just the tip of the iceberg for the injustices women must face. Luckily, women have begun to stand up for themselves and change is happening. Feminism; the equality of the sexes, is becoming a common belief and everyday women are a step closer for equality to become a reality.


Pantene Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K2kfgW7708&feature=youtu.be



Citations:
1. The Rights of Women: Laws and Practices. Seneca Falls. 1848.
2.  Women Out Of Their Latitude. National Reformer. American Treasures of the Library of Congress. August 31, 1848.
3. Oneida Whig. American Treasures of the Library of Congress. August 1, 1848.