Slavery and the South

In spite of the process of emancipation and criticism against slavery, the South hung onto slavery even after the Revolutionary Period (Moore 140). At first, they defended the institution of slavery as a necessary evil. However, in time, the South, through the voice of the intellectuals, wove an impressive web of justifications. It not only defended the institution, but extolled it as an ideal system to be emulated by all societies. In their complete embrace of slavery, these intellectuals justified the institution on several levels: physiological, racial, social, religious, cultural and economic.

By pointing out the physiological and racial differences from the whites, the doctors and scientists of the South played a large part in undermining the humanity of the slaves. This "knowledge" set the stage for the justification of the oppression of slaves. Nonetheless, slaveholders considered their system of slavery a more benevolent institution than capitalism. Ultimately, it was the world's dependence on cotton, produced by slave labor that was instrumental in fully justifying the existence of slave labor.

One way that the South tried to justify its oppression of the slaves was by degrading their humanity and highlighting their difference from white people. Advocating the "scientific" race theory, doctors like Dr. Samuel Cartwright, tried to justify slavery by delineating the distinctive racial characteristics of blacks. According to his investigations, Cartwright discover

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pital conflicts (Calhoun 19). Furthermore, Fitzhugh painted an idyllic picture of the slave's existence in the South. On a Southern farm, all slaves were taken care of from birth until old age. They never suffered from want of food and could marry whenever they pleased. Slaves did not have to compete with one another to get work. Essentially, they did not need to worry about food, clothing or shelter for themselves or for their families. Fitzhugh conceived of their loss of independence in a paternalistic fashion. The master would take care of their slaves as weak and dependent individuals, as though they were his wife and children (Fitzhugh 44-45). For the slaveholders, the slaves formed a part of the social hierarchy: slaves should be subordinate to their masters, just as children were subordinate to their parents (Robinson 75). In some of the smaller plantations, some slaves even had close relationships with their masters and shared the latter's concern in the affairs of the plantations (Moore 64). Working together in the fields and doing other jobs on the farms, the owners and the slaves often formed close personal ties with one another (Levine 139). As a result of these social arrangements, Fitzhugh pointed out that

Category: History - S