When a society started to form around any kind of institution, just like what the South did in slavery, they will create arguments to support their claims. That was what the supporters of slavery did. They created their arguments as to why the Peculiar Institution must be defended (Nash 1). The Peculiar Institution is basically slavery. It started in the United States during the early settlements of the Europeans and ended with the Civil War. During that time, slavery existed both in the North and South. There was a time when slavery was equal in both regions. However, when industrialization occurred in the North and there was an increase in the demand for cotton in the south, there was a shift in the balance of slavery. The southern economy started to grow because of its increased cheap labor. It is true when they say that a culture grows and thrives regardless of the condition. Because of this, there were two interdependent cultures that existed in the American south even before the Civil War began. These are the world of the slaveholders and the world of the slaves. Slaves were not allowed to express themselves in whatever way they wanted, but still there were able to fight back.
There were many supporters of the Peculiar Institution or slavery back in the nineteenth century. It was a time when there were movements to abolish slavery. These supporters made arguments to support their claim as to why slavery must not be eliminated. According to them, if slavery is to be ended suddenly, it would kill the economy in the south because the region is highly dependent on slave labor. If there would be no more slaves, the cotton economy would collapse. Even the tobacco crops would be affected as they would dry in the fields. Rice would no longer be profitable.
The supporters also argued that if slaves were freed, it would increase the unemployment rate and would create chaos. If this happened, it would result to anarchy, uprisings, and even bloodshed. They even used the rule of terror during the French revolution. According to them, the status quo must continue. The status quo was providing stability and affluence to the slaveholding class and all the other free people who have access to the slave society. The supporters of slavery argued that slavery had been in existence for as long as they can remember. It was even considered as the natural state of mankind. They said that the Romans had slaves, Greeks had slaves, and the English had slaves as well. They even used the Bible as an example. They said that even Abraham had slaves.
Works Cited:
Nash, Keir. 1979. Reason for Slavery: Understanding the Judicial Role of Peculiar Institution. Hein Online.
