Why Slavery Prospered in the South but not in the North

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Slavery prospered more in the South than in the North. Many have wondered why this occurred. This happened for several reasons. To begin with, the South needed additional workers to operate their farms and plantations. Another reason they had slaves was to increase the size of their military force. Last but not least, they didn’t feel that African Americans were entitled to human rights. Based on these items, the Northerners did not share the same view on slavery as the Southerners did. Most of the population in the North did not condone slavery. This was partially because they did not have the same agricultural needs. In addition to this, they felt that all races deserved to be treated equally.

The Southerners viewed slavery as a luxury and a necessity. Financial gain was one of the reasons slavery was tremendously popular. Slaves were required to work in various places for little or no money. Therefore, this helped the slave owners achieve their goal of increasing their profits because they did not have to pay for labor costs. With lower labor costs, the Southerners had more disposable income. This extra money allowed them to pay their taxes, to buy more land, and to even possibly purchase more slaves.

The Northerners were extremely aggravated with the Southerners’ position on slavery. Not only did they disagree that the Southerners did not have to pay the people who worked for them, but they also violated the African Americans’ human rights. People in the North didn’t rely on slavery. They were independent and their work force did not require outside labor. Two main occupations in the North included working in factories and mills. The Northerners were able to do these jobs themselves. If there had been more agricultural jobs...

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...eason why slavery was so accepted in the South. They felt slavery was necessary because the slaves did a majority of the work on the large plantations. Most importantly, the North was against slavery because they felt it was unacceptable to own other human beings. The South did not share this concern. They were willing to compromise human rights for their own profit.

Works Cited

“Historical Background on Antislavery.” Teach US History.org. Old Sturbridge, Inc., n.d. Web.

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“Slavery.” Oracle Think Quest. n.p., 2001. Web.

“Why Did the South Want Slavery?” Slavery During the Civil War. n.p., n.d. Web.

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