Back in the nineteenth century, cotton was a big industry in the American South. However, this industry rode on the slaves’ backs. Many supporters of slavery in the United States were from the South. They were interested in the industry that was highly dependent on slaves. For them, they had the right to own slaves. They believed they had the legal rights to these slaves. They wanted to protect the Peculiar Institution because they benefitted a lot from the cheap labor provided by the slaves (Stampp 1). However, during the time, there were many movements to abolish slavery. So the supporters of slavery back in 1820-1865 had their arguments why slavery should not be eliminated. According to them, if slavery was to be demolished, it would worsen the cotton industry and would kill the plantations. If this happened, the economy of the country would be affected as well. It would reduce the trade products of America and many businesses would shut down. Also, according to the supporters, if the slaves were to be freed, they would become disorderly and violent. They would start fighting for their rights and would claim many arguments that would support them as slaves. This could create chaos in the society since the number of slaves was really high they could really cause a big movement.
The supporters of slavery also said that if slave economy was to be ended suddenly, the crops, not just cotton, like rice and tobacco would also be affected. If they would replace the slaves with workers that would be paid, it would increase the overhead cost. The result of this would be an array of crops would not be profitable anymore. Without the slaves, the economy would go down, that was their major argument. They said that ending slavery would result to a total collapse of the Southern economy.
Works Cited:
Stampp, Kenneth. 1989. The Peculiar Instituion: Slavery in the Ante-Bellum. Vintage: Reissue edition.
