Was Slavery Good Or Bad

In 1619, slavery existed in every North American colony, however after the American Revolution the Northern states started to move away from slavery, while it prospered in the South. People in the North started to worry over the expansion of slavery as they believed it hindered the opportunities that America provided. As the discussion over slavery started becoming more prominent, slave advocates changed their claims from slavery being a “necessary evil” to a “positive good”. According to many white southerners, slavery was not only beneficial to the economy but it benefitting the slaves as well. Advocates claimed that African Americans were inferior to the white race and by bringing them to America as slaves and introducing them to Christianity …show more content…
Many advocates for slavery believed that African Americans were an inferior race and that by having them be slaves they were actually increasing their value from the initial way God had created them. However, in the testimony provided by former slaves, the “Christianity” that they were introduced too was not true. In an interview one former slave recounted that when the preacher came and talked to them he would preach, “‘Serve your masters. Don’t steal your master’s turkey…Do whatsomever your master tells you to do’”. A different account from a previous slave stated how they were never allowed to have a book or learn how to read because the masters did not want them to get smarter. When the preacher told them to obey their masters because they were just like the other animals, they believed them because they didn’t have Bibles to say otherwise. Both of these accounts justify that slaves were not introduced to true Christianity but in fact were taught that as long as they obeyed their masters they would go to Heaven. This tacit was used so the slaves would not disobey or rebel against their masters and be loyal to them. The arguments that slavery was a “positive good” because it introduced African Americans to Christianity is wrong because most of the time they did not even know how to read …show more content…
Those who wanted to keep slavery claimed that since African Americans were inferior to them, as slaves they were happy, content and docile. Again though through the evidence given from former slaves, they were incredibly unhappy and some slaves would try to run away and get away from their masters because it was so terrible. In many accounts families were often broken up, when a mom or kid would be sold to another plantation. In one account while talking about how families were broken up, they say, “Them white folks didn’t care nothing ‘bout how the slaves grieved when they tore up a family”. No person would be content and happy if someone tore their kid or mother away from them. Slaves were often trying to find a way to run away to the North and hide. In Harriet Jacobs excerpt from her autobiography, she explains how she was raped by her master and was afraid to run away for a long time. Eventually she ran away with her two kids and hid with one white woman until she was able to gain her freedom. Another account from a fugitive slave states how his master was very cruel and would randomly line all of the slaves up and whip them one by one and sometimes he even forced mothers to whip their own children. He goes on to say, “I well remember the tears of my poor mother, as they fell upon my back, while she was bathing and