Town Meeting: Is Slavery Good or Bad?

After discussing the sides of anti and pro-slavery here's what I gain.

Ever since 1619, slavery was first introduced to the colonies through the Slave Trade. Soon it eventually started a debate mostly beginning in the late 1700's about whether slavery would be beneficial or not. Famous historical people have contributed to both sides of pro and anti-slavery.

"Cotton is King".

Those who were pro-slavery include John C. Calhoun, James Hammond, and Jefferson Davis. These people believed that owning slaves was good and beneficial. Their arguments included that one cannot be rich without owning slaves. Calhoun and Hammond both argued this point but Hammond took it further by keying the phrase that “Cotton is King”. This phrase alludes to the time period were cotton was the number 1 cash crop and both the South and the North benefited from the labor of slaves since the South gain money from the exportation of the crop and the North gain clothing from the crop.

Those against slavery were called anti-slavery. Some examples of anti-slavery activists were Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, and Alexis de Tocqueville. Former slaves, such as Truth and Douglass, saw and experienced the brutality of slavery and eventually escaped it and helped others to get freed also either by writing their own experience in slavery or becoming a leader in the abolitionist movement. On the other hand, de Tocqueville was a French man visiting the colonies and wrote a book called Democracy in America This book described the American society including slavery and the brutal reality of it. He tried to free the slaves in the colonies the best he could do.Those against slavery were called anti-slavery. Some examples of anti-slavery activists were Sojourner Truth, William Lloyd Garrison, and Frederick Douglass. Former slaves, such as Truth and Douglass, saw and experienced the brutality of slavery and eventually escaped it and helped others to get freed also.

For more information about the different views of slavery, please reference these sites:

https://threepointsofview.weebly.com/index.html