Economic Effects Of Slavery In America Essay

Words: 900
Pages: 4

Slavery thrived in the South of the United States between the 1700s and 1800s; nearly a third of the population were slaves. These slaves would work on plantations to grow cotton, tobacco and other kinds of crops. After the abolition of slavery there were major effects on the United States. Firstly, capitalism was a vicious cycle in pushing along economic growth throughout the slave time period and continuing afterwards. The economic system in which investment or work is put in and in exchange wealth is made and maintained by private owners. Secondly, individualism was created to put forth an individual’s liberty, rights and actions, rather than collective interests or opinions. The United States as a society decided that the ideas of personal worth was a way to escape oppression but yet did not treat everyone equal to the whites. Lastly, racism was possibly the biggest …show more content…
To begin with, it did not need to be implied that the Africans were of a lesser class because of the means in which they were treated, it was obvious. The slaves were used by the private owners to uphold their wealth and status. As well, with a larger plantation it was easier for more people to see these owners as successful. In the South it was hard work in the hot sun and very scarce whites were willing to work on the plantations, therefore, most owners purchased slaves to work the land. The plantation owners desperately needed workers but if they had to pay white people wages, they could not produce a profit. Lastly, the slaves would receive residence as payment instead of money so the owner could save and then invest in more land. This action would require more slaves to work the land and a financial cycle was created between the owner and slave. The effects of these slaves working in the plantation fields were that they became a piece of property that would take generations to