Capitalism: The cause of slavery in the American

South

Essay submitted by Unknown

The American South, had a social system which was distinct in many ways. There was

an economy relative to the region, where class structure and a system of racial

differences which caused the South to become unique to the rest of the nation.

Historians such as James Henretta have said that Capitalism was the cause of all evil

within the American South. American Capitalism defined by Max Weber is " a greed for

gain", and "acquisition by force, ... whether directly in war or in the form [of]

exploitation of subjects". This type of lifestyle within a growing nation could not work

with the gentry class which was moving into the region unless there was people to do

the work on the farms for them. At first there were indentured servants, but this

system of work only worked for a limited time as these servants would work their time

of servitude and then leave on their own. The American farmer in the south needed

more control on their workers and needed to know that they ( the workers ) weren't

going to just leave and start up their own farm for themselves. Thus the manipulation

of slave labor became the answer for capitalism, and from the use of black slave labor,

tension began to rise between the slaves brought from Africa, and the land holders of

the South.

Tension between Slaves and land owners have been strong in the South for many

years, and one might say that the cause of it is the ways of which the Black slaves of

plantations and farms were treated. The founders of the Carolina colonies were not

only interested in the use of slaves in the solution of their labor problems of too much

work not enough workers, but they had a very big material interest.

The use of slave labor, was a coerced, cash-crop system of labor from which slavery

became an economic necessity because for a person who owned land they needed

workers, and these workers were predominantly Negro slaves brought in sold from

Africa. To southern colonists, slavery was first an economic institution solely for the

purpose of solving an economic problem, that problem - work cost too much money so

the colonists implemented forced labor for economic gain. So slavery provided the basis

for a special Southern economic and social life which had continued on until the Civil

war.

The special economic life which the people of the South lived upon was one of greed

for expansion and gain. Capitalism at its best, and the Southern colonies were very

good at it. Lewis C. Gray defined the southern plantation as a "capitalistic type of

agricultural organization in which a considerable number of unfree laborers were

employed under a unified direction and control in the production of a staple crop."

The plantations were mostly one crop oriented, cotton or tobacco, and this lead to

cash crops rather than supplying for the colonies themselves. The plantation gentry or

Masters as they were called by the slaves, never thought of the 'big picture' involving

cash crops, only their own well being and how much money they were going to make

whether physical force was used or not. Slavery and the plantation system led to

agricultural methods that depleted soils and the slavery system forced the South to

exploit more slave labor as a means of better production rather than the realization of

worn-out l ands. Such a labor system in the South aggravated and caused very deep

problems between the Master and his slaves.

Slavery established the basis of the planter's position and power. It measured his

affluence, marked his status, "and supplied leisure for social graces and aristocratic

duties." The road of power in the South lay through the plantation and the Master

would see to it that his or her plantation be the best. Great planters held enormous

power in the southern colonies, they spent much of their free time in leisure,

educational pursuits, and participation in public life; George Washington and Thomas

Jefferson both were within this group of people. Most planters were also very active

entrepreneurs, who would engage in quick profit type situations which would help them

make more money on top of the plantation profits made for them by their slaves.

Although their main means of money and profit was the forced labor unit of slavery on

the plantations, these other quick scheme ideas forced planters into believing that

slave holding was more profitable. Therefore an increase in the amount of slaves doing

work on p lantations was evident due to its profitability for planters and farmers and

the control on labor. Controlling labor in the South, became an entity upon which no

plantation could survive without. The Southern Master had many slaves who he

expected to do enormous amounts of work all for the Master's gain. Consequently a

capitalistic lifestyle had absorbed and encouraged slavery. The resultant fortunes for

which Planters and Farmers had flow into their pockets, was because of slavery and

slave-holding. A small commercial bourgeoisie was created from slavery and the

ideology of capitalism was the root of construction. Perhaps if it weren't for capitalism

and the expansion by British gentry slavery caused by capitalism would never have

happened.