Pro-Slavery

             Essay Two-Analyze the ways in which supporters of slavery in the nineteenth century used legal, religious, and economic arguments to defend the institution of slavery.
             Many supporters in the nineteenth century used religious, legal, and economic arguments to keep minorities down. The supporters had a hard time coming up with excuses to keeping the institution of slavery especially when it came to the economy. One man stated that he was convinced that the nature of the climate, and the flat swampy situation of the country, obliged people to cultivate that lands with Negroes, and that with out them the land would soon be "desert waste". One would think that it is obvious that his view was based on a selfish desire to avoid "menial labor". Not to mention it is ridiculous to think swampy land would become a desert if it was not cultivated. Supporters came up with many "off the wall" arguments in order to defend slavery.
             The church also had a supporting part in slavery, although they did look to the biblical text when questioning where they stood. They believed that slave holding was never condemned in the Bible and that the master-slave relationship was superior, and "more Christian like", than the employer-employee relationship of the free labor system. Another popular religious argument was the "Abrahamic tradition". Abraham was both a great slave holder and God's favorite patriarch of a household that included his many slaves; God recognized the relation of master and slave, thus slavery couldn't be sinful.
             The laws at the time were also "pro-slavery". White Americans did not consider black slaves to be human and the laws reflected that. Slaves were defined as chattel, tangible movable or immovable pieces of property. By law a slave could be bought, sold, or inherited. They had no rights or individual freedoms; a slave was not able to hold a case in court, ow...

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Pro-Slavery. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 17:07, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/94888.html