The Growth of Slavery

In colonial America, slavery was an large aspect of society. Africans were enslaved and sold to slave owners across America. At the height of slavery, 25% of all southerners owned slaves. Those who owned 20 or more slaves controlled the social, political, and economic power of the south. In the eighteenth century, government was based on race and created laws to establish a slave’s value and essential rights. For example, in The Founder’s Constitution, part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 states that a slave is worth ⅗ of a person and Native Americans do not count as part of the population. This ⅗ Compromise allowed slaves to be counted as 3/5ths of a person when apportioning seats in the House of Representatives. This ⅗ Compromise was necessary to allow unity of the states. However, this race-based governmental system diminishes human dignity. Anyone enslaved of color is told that they have little or no value in society, taking away all self-respect or rights that they have as a human being.

In the eighteenth century, cotton became an economically profitable plant for the nation. Cotton production was initiated in the southern states on the east coast expanded production in the south as demands for cotton production grew with the helpful invention of Eli Whitney’s cotton gin. By 1860, cotton became 57% of the nation’s total export revenue and became an integral aspect of our nation’s economy. However, high demands for the product called for laborers to work the fields. Slavery began in the northern states but shifted into southern states such as Alabama and Mississippi once there were demands for cotton. With cotton being the nation’s leading export revenue, making over 190 million dollars, slavery became entrenched, relying on slave laborers to assist in the process of making the highly demanded cotton. Southern cotton planters felt economically powerful and politically confident that the national government at Washington could not afford to alienate them and lose their support. With the demands for their slaves’ work, slavery would continue to remain for many years to come.

A government based on race tends to ignore and overlook characteristics such as intelligence or virtue of a slave. People of color were enslaved and forced to labor in the fields to maintain the demands for cotton and support the growing economy. This race-based government identifies and defines people by the color of their skin, overlooking important qualities of a human being such as intelligence and virtue. Race and inequality have shaped our nation since the beginning of the American colonies’ quest for freedom and economic and political liberty. Our society was founded on inequality and the denial of freedom for slaves. Perhaps a government that focused less on economic success and more on the value of the individual would have produced greater results. If important qualities of a slave such as intelligence had been recognized, they could have potentially contributed to a more profitable plantation. If slaves had been treated with more respect and had been identified regardless of their race, we could have had a more humane way of reaching financial success.

Christy, Howard. Scene of the Signing of the Constitution of the United States. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founding_Fathers_of_the_United_States. 2/24/15