Sample Essay On Arguments Of Supporters Of Slavery

Slavery is one of the oldest kinds of social relationships on the Earth. It was the norm in ancient Greece and Rome. And it came to the coasts of America in the early 17th century. Supporters of slavery had lots of arguments in defense of their position. First of all, the law was on the side of the slaveholders. According to the supporters of the chattel slavery, the US Constitution did not prohibit slavery and even allow it. The Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees a person that he or she would not be deprived of property without process of law. The slaves were considered property of their slaveholders. The 1820 year was the year of the Missouri compromise, which actually broaden the slaveholders’ rights. Dred Scott case was also one the famous processes of that time that proved that slaves were a property not the citizens. The Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, which abolished the slavery, appeared only in 1865. From the economical point of view, supporters of slavery argued that sudden end of slavery would have brought drastic changes to the South and might have killed the economy of the Southern states. The cotton economy (cotton was the most important item of export to Europe) would die as it is strongly dependant on cheap slave labor. Besides, freedom of slaves would cause the mass unemployment and chaos because blacks would move to the Northern factories and would take jobs for cheaper salary than the whites. Furthermore, slaveholders found moral arguments in support of slavery. Jesus said nothing against the slavery. Besides, Abraham, a character from the Bible, had slaves. One of the Ten Commandments tell that a good Christian should not desire a “nor his manservant, nor his maidservant”. Furthermore, according to the slaveholders, slavery was a natural state of mankind as Greeks and Romans had slaves. Slaveholders argued that they take care of their slaves and create a family atmosphere for them. Slaves do not need to look for job, clothing and money, so it is a good thing for slaves to be enslaved.