Slavery was a prosperous, expanding, and unequal economic system. Controversy over the institution of slavery was a constant feature of American society since its settlement by Europeans. Political differences across the United States for the most part trace their origins back to slavery’s prevalence, and economically, slavery was the engine that steered America’s rise to economic dominance.
The New England colonies were founded in the name of religious freedom, as colonists had the urge to form an improved British society on new soil. However, by modern definition, New England was not considered to be a “free” society, shown by its approach to slavery in the form of indentured servitude. Slavery really began for the purpose of sugar and rice cultivation, and in terms of society, it gave settlers the opportunity to invest capital in the form of labor and make money. Although slavery was not considered good, there was this belief that there were various conditions in which it was okay to have slaves. Indentured servitude was the process by which freedom was exchanged for a passage to the New World. The only difference from slavery was that your contract ended after a certain amount of time, and if you survived your indenture, you could set yourself up in the New World with hope to become an independent farmer. European settlers preferred slavery over servitude because of the many economic benefits, such as slaves being more affordable, the hereditary status of slaves in which children were born into slavery, and because of the African slaves’ superior immune systems. By the 18th century, slavery continued to grow, and Atlantic commerce consisted predominantly of slaves, crops fabricated by slaves, and goods intended for slave societies.
In the “Era of Good Feelings,” slavery was the mother issue of all issues. James Monroe’s presidency marked a period of economic and political transition in America as well, as a result of rapid economic growth and the innovations in transportation and commerce. The invention of the cotton gin led to the increased demand to provide labor for cotton cultivation in the South. In response to the Market Revolution, reform movements for the abolition of slavery developed in the process to improve American society. Growing sectionalism between the North and the South over expanding slavery into the new western territories resulted in the Missouri Compromise, a legislative decision to admit Missouri as a slave state while prohibiting slavery anywhere west of the Mississippi River and north of the 36 30 parallel. By the early 19th century, all Northern states abolished slavery, while the number of slaves in the South continued to multiply.
With the gain of new territory after the Mexican-American War, the subject of slavery was the foremost issue in American politics. In 1860, the economic investment in slaves exceeded the value of the nation’s factories, railroads, and banks combined. Slaves were more efficient because one could force them to labor much longer since plantation owners could set their hours, whereas wage laborers would only want to work as much as they would be paid. Disputes over the expansion of slavery fractured the Second Party System, and anti-slavery democrats, the free soil party, and abolitionists would now support the Republican Party. The abolishment of the institution of slavery in the North, as well as the increase in slave labor in the South led to the Civil War, a conflict of extraordinary size and importance which has played a key role in the nations future economic and political systems. The nation now faced the huge task of reconstructing the South while converting former slaves into free and equal workers/citizens. Reconstruction sought to create a solid foundation for African American rights in the nation. While true Reconstruction was hard to achieve, the institution of slavery left a lasting legacy—the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments—which would later call for future advances in civil rights and equality.
Although slavery was disparaging because of its repugnance, brutality, and inhumanity, slavery’s economic benefit was vastly overlooked. Before, the states were responsible for protecting citizens’ rights. Now, thanks to the Reconstruction Era, blacks had gained equal rights and the federal government now assumed the responsibility of making certain blacks were treated equally. Slavery was prominent in shaping American history.