A Slave Cannot Buy A House

By Jackie Tse

Slavery was one of the main focuses of American life in the 19th century. Not only was it the key factor to southern economy in the United States, but it was long disputed and questioned to being unconstitutional, violating human rights. Under the office of Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865) the United States was no longer a whole nation but, divided into a southern division; the Confederates and a northern division; the Union. Their economic differences was one major factor in the South’s motivation to separate. The South believed in a well developing economy using slaves for free labor, considering how the South’s economy was agricultural-based. Having slavery as the essence of Southern economy in the U.S during the 19th century, the south would have surely been financially challenged without slavery.

Slavery allowed maximum profiting in the South. Slavery was also known as cheap labor in the South. Negroes were brought in from Africa and sold as items rather than people across the Atlantic Ocean and were not given citizenship into any part of the United States. Southern merchants continued to make large profits from selling slaves to corporate and plantation owners of the 19th century even though in the mid-19th century, slavery was long forgotten in the North of the United States. By using slaves for cheap labor, slave owners were able to maximize their profits without moving a finger. Workers who were hired for low wages or bought from slave traders were considered cheap labor. They were paid very little, some were paid with food and shelter, to work excessive number of hours in harsh working conditions. Working conditions for slaves were of lowest priority for slave owners. Most slaves were paid with shelter, food and if they were lucky, clothes. Southern economy was on a steady pace of growth because labor was cheap due to the large amount of slaves in the South. Little was spent for their health and work. When slavery was introduced in the 17th century slaves were bought by hundreds. Without the mass selling slaves in the 17th century, the South would not have been taking advantage and indulging on the advantages of cheap labor.

Slavery limited the opportunity for employment for American citizens in the South during the 19th century. Plantation and corporate owners in the South did not have any needs for hiring workers for reasonable wages. Only slaves were necessary for a plantation to function efficiently. Slaves were bought without hesitation, aside from examining each one for strong physical characteristics. Southern citizens who were not plantation or corporate owners had no choice, but to buy their own slaves and start their own plantations, living a life of crops and herding animals. The limited number of employment in plantations contributed to the increase in the number of southern plantations. Unemployment also increased in the U.S do to large imports of slaves and immigrants during the 19th century. This shifted the source of a functional economy. Due to slavery, southern citizens were no longer to be found on plantations as employees.

Slavery became a new common interest of ownership in the South. Slaves were beaten, raped and sometimes starved as harsh punishment. Slaves from Africa had no sense of direction or any knowledge of American lifestyle therefore their only choice was to obey their masters in exchange for food and shelter. Everyone owned slaves because they were efficient workers, required little space to live in and the number of slaves was practically limitless. Slaves were used as tools, ordered to herd animals, fix houses, clean clothes and other chores that were far worse to be dealt with. Everyone in the South had a slave and if not one, more than enough to double the population of the South. The life of a slave was based very few and simple concepts. They were to swear to obey without question and succeed without failure. If they could not fulfill such tasks ordered by their masters, they would be treated like a hand tool; thrown away like useless tools.

Slavery became central pillar of support of southern economy in the United States during the 19th century. The South did not industrialize because their economy had depended on the cheap labor of slaves for decades. Even though the North was exposed to slavery for approximately the same amount of time, the North and the South had different lifestyles, depending on individuals who spoke their minds. In southern minds, increasing the number of slaves would result in the increasing of development efficiency in the economy. Machinery was looked down upon in the South, supporting the long time use of slaves.

Without slavery, the tension between the North and the South of the United States would not have been as severe as separating from a whole nation as an alternative of the South. The Union of the North gave way to a new and strong economy of industrialization while the Confederates of the South conserved their old ways of slavery and using cheap labor. Slavery impacted the economy of the South by maximizing southern profits, limiting employment, serving as a common tool and by becoming the strongest pillar in the economic structure of the South. The North viewed slavery as unconstitutional while the South viewed slavery as a prevailing source of boosting the economy.