Slavery Annotated Bibliography
"U.S. History I: Slavery, the Economy, and Society." U.S. History I: Slavery, the
Economy, and Society. Web. 16 May 2012.
<http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/Slavery-the-Economy-andSociety.topicArticleId-25073,articleId-25050.html>.
Between the first federal census in 1790 and the eve of the Civil War, the slave
population in the United States increased from approximately seven hundred thousand to
almost four million. The formal end to the foreign slave trade in 1808 had no impact, he
smuggling of slaves was common and in any event, natural increase accounted for
practically all of the slave-population growth in the United States. The nationwide
distribution of slaves also changed during this time span. Around 1820, slavery was
concentrated in the tobacco-growing areas of Virginia, North Carolina, and Kentucky and
along the coasts of South Carolina and northern Georgia. By 1860, it had significantly
expanded into the Deep South, particularly Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana,
and Texas, following the spread of cotton production. Had slavery somehow ceased
during that expansion, it would have been impossible for the South to meet the
worldwide demand for its products.
"27f. The Southern Argument for Slavery." The Southern Argument for Slavery
[ushistory.org]. Web. 16 May 2012. <http://www.ushistory.org/us/27f.asp>.
Those who defended slavery rose to the challenge set forth by the Abolitionists. The
defenders of slavery included economics, history, religion, legality, social good, and even
humanitarianism, to further their arguments. Defenders of slavery argued that if all the
slaves were freed, there would be widespread unemployment and chaos. This would lead
to uprisings, bloodshed, and anarchy. They pointed to the mob's "rule of terror" during
the French Revolution and argued for the continuation of the status quo, which was
providing for affluence and stability for the slaveholding class and for all free people who
enjoyed the bounty of the slave society.
"Slavery in the North." Slavery in the North. Web. 16 May 2012.
<http://www.slavenorth.com/>.
Slavery in the North never approached the numbers of the South. It was, numerically, a
drop in the bucket compared to the South. But the South, comparatively, was itself a drop
in the bucket of New World slavery. Roughly a million slaves were brought from Africa
to the New World by the Spanish and Portuguese before the first handful reached
Virginia. Some 500,000 slaves were brought to the United States (or the colonies it was
built from) in the history of the slave trade, which is a mere fraction of the estimated 10
million Africans forced to the Americas during that period.
"Slavery in America." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 16 May 2012.
<http://www.history.com/topics/slavery>.
Slavery in America began when the first African slaves were brought to the North
American colony of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619, to aid in the production of such
lucrative crops as tobacco. Slavery was practiced throughout the American colonies in
the 17th and 18th centuries, and African-American slaves helped build the economic
foundations of the new nation. The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 solidified the
central importance of slavery to the South's economy. By the mid-19th century,
America's westward expansion, along with a growing abolition movement in the North,
would provoke a great debate over slavery that would tear the nation apart in the bloody
American Civil War (1861-65). Though the Union victory freed the nation's 4 million
slaves, the legacy of slavery continued to influence American history, from the
tumultuous years of Reconstruction (1865-77) to the civil rights movement that emerged
in the 1960s, a century after emancipation.
"27. The Peculiar Institution." The Peculiar Institution [ushistory.org]. Web. 16 May
2012. <http://www.ushistory.org/us/27.asp>.
"The PECULIAR INSTITUTION" is slavery. Its history in America begins with the
earliest European settlements and ends with the Civil War. Yet its echo continues to
reverberate loudly. Slavery existed both in the north and in the South, at times in equal
measure. The industrialization of the north and the expansion of demand for cotton in the
south shifted the balance so that it became a regional issue, as the southern economy
grew increasingly reliant on cheap labor.
"Economy in The Civil War." Shmoop. Web. 16 May 2012.
<http://www.shmoop.com/civil-war/economy.html>.
Economically, the Civil War was not a contest between equals. The South had no
factories to produce guns or ammunition, and its railroads were small and not
interconnected, meaning that it was hard for the South to move food, weapons and men
quickly and over long distances. With the loss of its cotton exports, the South was in big
trouble. It had lost its banking system—which had been headquartered in New York—
and held no gold or silver reserves. There were various forms of paper money printed by
the states and even by some private banks, but overall people did not trust paper money,
unless it was explicitly backed by gold.
Thesis- White southerners were in favor slavery because it was cheap labor and they were
making lots of money off cotton fields and tobacco.