According to John Ashworth the rise of American capitalism led to increasing calls for the complete and unconditional abolition of slavery from the United States. In the text provided John Ashworth proves this claim. He proves the claim by explaining the underlying ideologies of American capitalism and how these ideologies eventually led to demands for abolition of slavery. Capitalism advocates for privately owned businesses which bring forth profits for the owners. According to ashworth this was completely in line with abolitionism. This is because as capitalism grew there was increasing demand for labor and calls for the work force to grow in order to maximize production and by extension maximize profits. People therefore came to the realization that wage labor was more productive than slave labor. They realize that willing workers would be more productive than subjugated slaves who were forced to toil in the fields all day without any pay at all. The capitalists therefore started advocating for abolition of slavery in order for them to be able to get the relevant workforce needed for maximum productivity and hence maximum profits.
According to ashworth abolition of slavery changed the American economy. The economy changed from complete reliance on land and agriculture to more reliance on manufacturing. The northerners were big on manufacturing while the southerners upheld agriculture. Therefore as the northerners advocated for abolitionism the southerners struggled to maintain the status quo exactly as it was with reference to slavery and slave labor. This is because the wave of American capitalism has its origins in the north or rather the northern region of the United States. This explains all the calls for abolition of slavery by the north.
References
Ashworth, J. (2007). Slavery, capitalism, and politics in the antebellum Republic. Cambridge [England: Cambridge University Press.
