Rethinking Americans in the Antebellum North Against Slavery

Americans in the Antebellum North were not really against slavery on moral grounds because they thought of slaves as property, and not on economic grounds because slavery was essential to the economy. States could not prohibit slavery, but they could put a tax on slaves. The Industrial business was run by slaves. The more cloth produced, the more cotton that was consumed, and more slaves were needed to produce the cotton. The table linked to below shows that in 1834 753,270 yards of cloth was produced each week and the slave population was 2,300,000. In 1858 when 2,394,000 yards of cotton was produced each week, the slave population increased to 3,953,696. Lowell depended on the slave system in order to get raw cotton. Lowell sold the finished product to slave owners so that the owners could dress their slaves. This is shown in the “Lowell Cloth” picture below. Americans in the Antebellum North did not think of slaves as a “whole person.” They treated slaves as property.

 

Table of Cotton Production/Slave Population: Statistics of Lowell Manufacturers, courtesy Center for Lowell History, University of Massachusetts Lowell. http://www.edline.net/files/_wdH5g_/e9aa25b9887eebbc3745a49013852ec4/Unit_4_Activity_5_Doc_2_Cotton_Prod_v_Slave_Pop.pdf

“Lowell Cloth” Picture: http://www.edline.net/files/_wdH6F_/ef5878ac4abd9cd13745a49013852ec4/Unit_4_Activity_5_Doc_3_Lowell_Cloth.pdf