The economic benefits of slavery were too large to ignore, although the North was more liberal and quicker to distance itself from slavery publicly, as a whole it was still very involved. Without the large plantations of the South, the visibility of Northern slavery was usually well hidden and publicity of slavery virtually non-existent. While most believe the North was completely against slavery, the surprising fact is the North were just as involved with slave trade as the South was involved with the use of slaves, especially when one considers the triangle trade.
Shipping
Having climate and territory unsuitable for large scale farming, New England’s economy was based on manufacturing and fishing. New England’s coastline had been established …show more content…
The invention of the cotton Gin made men fifty times more efficient at separating cotton from the seeds. While the north had completely outlawed slavery by 1820, the cotton boom was just beginning. Cotton from the South fueled textiles in the North, and the demand for goods was endless. According to Behre (N.D.) “The number of mills within a 30-mile radius of Providence, R.I., doubled between 1812 and 1815, spurred by the same hopes of riches that induced Southerners to plant the cotton. The revolution was on.” With high demand for the better quality and lower cost of machine made textiles, the north had found a replacement for the capital the slave trade had been supplying until its ban. The new efficient means for separating cotton from seed meant bigger plantations and more slaves to work them which were now mostly bought from within the continent but were still transported by Northern ships. With Cotton, New England again made huge profits at the expense of …show more content…
The common thread in all of the situations described is slavery. The Triangle Trade sent rum to Africa to buy slaves which were then sent to The Caribbean to work the sugar plantations making more sugar and molasses which were then sent to New England to make more rum and the cycle begins again, although roughly 80% of the manufactured rum remained in the states and were bought and drank by locals at taverns. Slaves paid for themselves within a year of working at a plantation, the rest of the time was all profit. In addition to the rum trade New Englanders were making large profits from the logistics of the slave trade and actual selling of slaves, and Cotton was so immensely popular it fueled the slave trade and the continued North’s involvement in the trade until the eve of the Revolution. It’s alarming to think just how much New England profited from slavery while the average American assumes the history they were brought up with it true; the north was where slaves escaped to
Shipping
Having climate and territory unsuitable for large scale farming, New England’s economy was based on manufacturing and fishing. New England’s coastline had been established …show more content…
The invention of the cotton Gin made men fifty times more efficient at separating cotton from the seeds. While the north had completely outlawed slavery by 1820, the cotton boom was just beginning. Cotton from the South fueled textiles in the North, and the demand for goods was endless. According to Behre (N.D.) “The number of mills within a 30-mile radius of Providence, R.I., doubled between 1812 and 1815, spurred by the same hopes of riches that induced Southerners to plant the cotton. The revolution was on.” With high demand for the better quality and lower cost of machine made textiles, the north had found a replacement for the capital the slave trade had been supplying until its ban. The new efficient means for separating cotton from seed meant bigger plantations and more slaves to work them which were now mostly bought from within the continent but were still transported by Northern ships. With Cotton, New England again made huge profits at the expense of …show more content…
The common thread in all of the situations described is slavery. The Triangle Trade sent rum to Africa to buy slaves which were then sent to The Caribbean to work the sugar plantations making more sugar and molasses which were then sent to New England to make more rum and the cycle begins again, although roughly 80% of the manufactured rum remained in the states and were bought and drank by locals at taverns. Slaves paid for themselves within a year of working at a plantation, the rest of the time was all profit. In addition to the rum trade New Englanders were making large profits from the logistics of the slave trade and actual selling of slaves, and Cotton was so immensely popular it fueled the slave trade and the continued North’s involvement in the trade until the eve of the Revolution. It’s alarming to think just how much New England profited from slavery while the average American assumes the history they were brought up with it true; the north was where slaves escaped to