Mencken Slave Labor

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According to Mencken (n.d.), “I believe that it is better to tell the truth than a lie. I believe it is better to be free than to be a slave. And I believe it is better to know than to be ignorant” (Mencken, n.d.). In this paper, I will be talking about the development of using slaves for labor; changes, problems, and issues of slave labor; and unintended consequences of using slave labor. Development of Using Slaves for Labor According to The Growth of Slavery (n.d.), slavery in America happened when the first African slaves were brought to a North American group in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. They were brought there to help with crops like tobacco. They weren’t exactly slaves, but they weren’t free either. They were called indentured servants; …show more content…

Even in the south, slavery was becoming less useful to farmers because tobacco prices were dropping. But in 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, which made it possible for textile mills to use cotton more easily. Cotton replaced tobacco as the south’s main way to make money, and slavery became profitable again, although at this time most southerners didn’t own any slaves. By 1860, slavery was again a vital part of the south’s economy. The southerners argued that black people were like children, and that couldn’t take care of themselves, that they needed help being kept fed, clothed, and housed. Certain people in the north tried to fight back, like northern abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. The treatment of slaves ranged from mild to cruel, depending on the owner. Most black families were split apart and sold to different people, and when they did something bad, they were punished by being whipped. In 1857, the United States Supreme Court ruled that slaves were human property and that they had no rights of citizenship. Some slaves, after this ruling, would pretend to be ill, organize for other slaves to slow down while working, sabotage farm machinery, and sometimes commit arson or murder against their owners. Some slaves even ran away, most only for a short period of time but some for forever (Slavery in the

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