FREE ESSAY ON SLAVERY POSITION PAPER

SLAVERY POSITION PAPER

A South Plantation Owner's View of Slavery
For hundreds of years, slavery has been practiced around the world. At this time,
abolitionist Americans have no right to deny this tradition. Our founding fathers, in
fact, had slaves of their own. One must concur that slavery is not morally wrong but
rather needed for the growth of America. The abolitionists of the North have weak
arguments that can be overruled by all the advantages of slavery. These advantages
include white supremacy and the advantages of living as a slave, the kingdom of cotton,
and the reality of the United States' Constitution and its Amendments. The South will not
lose slavery over a bunch of abolitionist fools view's of the wrongs of slavery, but will
instead remain in charge of their black slaves and keep them working the fields of
cotton. 
The Northern states are against slavery because they find it morally incorrect to own
another human being. Well, my friends from the North, first off you have no right to
argue something that our founding fathers practiced and secondly, black slaves are
inferior to our white Anglo-Saxon race. One thing is for sure, they should not be free to
walk around the United States and act as an equal to the white race. If the slaves were
free, they would be far outstripped or outwitted in the chase of free competition. Their
fate would certainly become extermination. The Negro's providence of habits and
moneymaking capacity is incomparable to that of the whites. Had they remained in Africa,
they would become idolatrous, savage and cannibal, or be eaten by other savages and
cannibals (Fitzhugh, 247). They should thank us for relieving them from the far more
cruel slavery in Africa. Although they are inferior, we took them to our homes and taught
them Christianity, and how it protects, supports and civilizes him. By taking them away
from the savages of Africa, giving them a religion, and providing them with benefits,
they have more liberty than a free laborer of the North could experience. Free laborers
must worry about a home, will always be insecure of employment, know sickness may
overtake him at anytime and deprive him of the means of support, old age is certain to
overtake him, his family is probably increasing in number and only becoming more
burdensome (Fitzhugh, 248). None of this matters to a slave, he will have a house of his
own, will never have to worry about employment, be supported even when sick, will take
care of young children when old, and their family will be supported if it grows larger.
Slaves have a life that a free laborer will never have.
As soon as our cotton industry grew and became so important to our economy, the North
decides to try to take away our free labor. This is the era of cotton, America's number
one export. From the work of slaves and the manufacture of cotton, mankind are better
clothed, their comfort better promoted, general industry more highly stimulated, commerce
more widely extended, and civilization more rapidly advanced than any preceding age. To
be exact, nine-tenths of the cotton consumed in the Christian world is the product of the
slave labor of the United States (Christy, 335). This monopoly itself has given slavery
its commercial value, and while this monopoly is retained, the institution will continue
to extend itself wherever it can find room to spread. For those that look for other
results must expect nations, which for centuries have waged war to extend their commerce,
will now abandon that means of aggrandizement and bankrupt themselves to force the
abolition of slavery (Fitzhugh, 247). As the monopoly of the culture of cotton imparts to
slavery its economical value, the system will continue as long as this monopoly is
maintained. 
In the Constitution of the United States, it states all men are created equal. This is
not true; not all are born physically, morally, or intellectually equal. Some are males,
some females, some are strong and healthy, and some are weak and timid, while others are
prone to wickedness. The weak in mind or body require guidance, support, and protection.
Those who protect and guide them become their masters and they must obey and work for
them. We didn't make them slaves, nature itself made them slaves, and the government and
law only regulate, modify, and mitigate their slavery. Besides equality, in this country,
property is not a natural and divine but conventional right. Our slaves are in fact our
property. They became property once they were sold and traded to us. They are an
investment, made by plantation owners, to make their plantations more suitable and
profitable. The Northern abolitionists feel that we should just give up our slaves and
let them go free. These slaves are investments made in the plantation and are property.
If for some incomprehensible reason the South decided to free their slaves, they would
not even be compensated for their loss. The Fifth Amendment, and due process, should be a
factor but it is not. The North merely wants us to release our slaves and abolish slavery
for free. If owners of factories in the North suddenly give away their products for free,
that would be loss to their income and they wouldn't go through with it (Fitzhugh, 476).
This is exactly our reason, yet to abolitionists, it is not an acknowledgeable reason.
Another written law under the Constitution that supports the plantation owners is the
Tenth Amendment. Under this amendment, any not specifically spoken about in the
constitution is left for the states to decide. Therefore, since slavery is not mentioned
in the Constitution, it is up to the state to decide whether or not they want to abolish
slavery.
We need to make a stand for what is rightfully ours. The world has long been in favor of
slavery and even today they show that it does not make a difference to them since they
buy our raw materials and products. If it wasn't for us, blacks would still be in savage
areas of Africa waiting to be eaten by each other. We saved them from this savage
lifestyle and taught them Christianity and gave them things free laborers will never have
or own. They are inferior to the Anglo-Saxon and if they are freed they will eventually
die off since they are certainly weak-minded. Besides these factors, the Constitution
clearly leaves it up to the states to decide upon the issue and with due process, must be
compensated for any slave that is freed. Without slave labor, cotton exports may decrease
and will drastically change commerce with other countries. The blacks were destined to be
our slaves and this should not be taken away from us.
Bibliography
Calhoun, John C. Either Slavery or Disunion. 
Christy, David. The Kingdom of Cotton. 1860.
Fitzhugh, George. The Failure of Free Society. 1854.
Fitzhugh, George. Slaves Without Masters. 1857.