Good morning, noble gentlemen of the legislature of Kentucky, allow me to introduce myself. I am the Obdurate Planter, but you can call me Adam Harrison. I am from the Jackson Purchase region and I grew up in tidewater Virginia on my father’s 5,000 acre plantation. Throughout my childhood, I was surrounded by slaves and my father’s wealth and success depended on slavery. After college, I met and became engaged to a nice young woman from good family. She had never seen a slave before, so when I brought her to my home in Virginia, she was disgusted by slavery.
Today, I stand here to address you all about the issues of secession and slavery within this great state of Kentucky. Now, let’s discuss secession first. As we all know, several states …show more content…
We have an agriculture-based economy and the Southern climate is perfect for planting crops, so we need to rely on some source of labor to get the job done. One might ask, why cannot someone else besides the blacks do the work? Well, we all have our own personal lives that we need to tend to, and there is simply not enough time in the day to accomplish everything that needs to be done. Even Mr. George Fitzhugh mentioned in his work titled “The Universal Law of Slavery” that slavery does not induce laziness in the masters; they have to care for their wives and children, which is a huge responsibility (Fitzhugh). So, why not have someone else do the hard work for you? At this rate, a lot of things can be achieved. Back to the economy of the South, if slavery were to be abolished, the economy would be affected tragically and no crops would be produced, which means no food, and this leads to starvation and ultimately death of people. Even Stephen F. Hale quoted in his letter to Governor Magoffin that “African Slavery has not only become one of the fixed domestic institutions of the Southern States, but forms an important element of their political power, and constitutes the most valuable species of their property” (Hale, …show more content…
I, however, want to address why supplies should keep moving down south. First off, Southerners have a right to self-defense and the Constitution gives citizens the right to bear arms, as mentioned in the Second Amendment. Although I am not a secessionist, I support the idea of American citizens having the right for self-defense. In Jefferson Davis’s inaugural address, he stated that the South and the North will remain to trade but, and I quote, “If, however, passion or the lust of dominion should cloud the judgment or inflame the ambition of those States, we must prepare to meet the emergency” (Davis, 32). In simple terms, Davis does not want any problems with the North, but if conflict does arise, the South will resort to using arms in an act of self-defense. I believe I have covered everything that needs to be addressed. Thank you for your time and
Today, I stand here to address you all about the issues of secession and slavery within this great state of Kentucky. Now, let’s discuss secession first. As we all know, several states …show more content…
We have an agriculture-based economy and the Southern climate is perfect for planting crops, so we need to rely on some source of labor to get the job done. One might ask, why cannot someone else besides the blacks do the work? Well, we all have our own personal lives that we need to tend to, and there is simply not enough time in the day to accomplish everything that needs to be done. Even Mr. George Fitzhugh mentioned in his work titled “The Universal Law of Slavery” that slavery does not induce laziness in the masters; they have to care for their wives and children, which is a huge responsibility (Fitzhugh). So, why not have someone else do the hard work for you? At this rate, a lot of things can be achieved. Back to the economy of the South, if slavery were to be abolished, the economy would be affected tragically and no crops would be produced, which means no food, and this leads to starvation and ultimately death of people. Even Stephen F. Hale quoted in his letter to Governor Magoffin that “African Slavery has not only become one of the fixed domestic institutions of the Southern States, but forms an important element of their political power, and constitutes the most valuable species of their property” (Hale, …show more content…
I, however, want to address why supplies should keep moving down south. First off, Southerners have a right to self-defense and the Constitution gives citizens the right to bear arms, as mentioned in the Second Amendment. Although I am not a secessionist, I support the idea of American citizens having the right for self-defense. In Jefferson Davis’s inaugural address, he stated that the South and the North will remain to trade but, and I quote, “If, however, passion or the lust of dominion should cloud the judgment or inflame the ambition of those States, we must prepare to meet the emergency” (Davis, 32). In simple terms, Davis does not want any problems with the North, but if conflict does arise, the South will resort to using arms in an act of self-defense. I believe I have covered everything that needs to be addressed. Thank you for your time and