Lea Ivanov
Period 1
AP US History
Slavery
There are many arguments on the topic of slavery. In this essay we will talk about moral argument. The second arguments we will talk about are political arguments. The third argument will be the economic arguments for slavery. All the arguments will be based on an article from “The Spectator”. This particular article talks about the white southerners’ defense of slaveholding. First, there were many moral arguments on slavery in 1859, from this article. “While the Northern Pharisee will not permit a negro to ride on the city railroads, Southern gentlemen and ladies are seen every day, side by side, in cars and coaches, with their faithful servants.” The white southerners argued that the slaves were treated better in the South because they were able to go to train stations and be seen side by side with their masters whereas the sight of them was despised in the North. “The slave nurses his master in sickness, and sheds tears of genuine sorrow at his grave. When sick himself, or overtaken by the infirmity of age, he is kindly cared for, and when he dies the whites grieve, not for the loss of property, but for the death of a member of the family.” Another example which shows how well the slaves were treated in the South.
Next, the political arguments of the South are that there were laws that protected the colored people. “Here the honest black man is not only protected by the laws and the public sentiment, but he is respected by the community as truly as if his skin were white.” The article also talks about how the masters aren’t actually free. “Is the master free to do as he pleases! Not so.—He is driven by a stern necessity to labor with his hands or confine himself to business, as the slave ever feels. We are therefore slaves.” The white southerners are explaining how they are slaves because they are driven by as stern a necessity to labor with his hands or confine himself to business. Lastly, there were a few economic arguments: there were no opportunities for the