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Chaelyn Singh

Prof. Van Zant

HIST 17 A 70033

November 27, 2022

Slavery: A Peculiar Institution

As a term for slavery labor, “peculiar institution” emerged as a reference to the

distinctive

characteristics of chattel slavery in the American South Region in the early 19th century. Despite

slavery previously existing all over the world in many different places and in many different

forms, the Library of Congress holdings show that slavery was unique in many ways because it

developed in conjunction with the Southern plantation land economy system. Even though

involuntary immigrants from the African continent and their heirs did not work as hard as their

owners expected, their work was coveted. They were employed for more than 200 years. The

African continent slave trade business and the sale of manufactured products to plantations also

brought significant success to numerous people, both North and South.

The advantages that emanated from it had been important to the lives of its stakeholders,

so it was viewed conclusive by individuals who engaged in it and believed they were doing right

by people. A scrutiny of slavery divulges that it's a "peculiar institution", made up of many

contradictions. Firstly, self-preservation taken into consideration as an important tool to

whites. It was momentous to them for economic and social reasons. They feared that

abolishing it might bring about numerous casualties. It is pertinent to discern that slavery took

place throughout a time of enlightenment. However, regardless of having the knowledge of the

apparent political and ethical evils, the dominant institution was incapable of doing anything

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about it. Although it was known that slaves were entitled to legal representation, they had

been vehemently denied access to justice. There were several contradictions in slave trade that

made slavery something particular or uncommon amongst different enterprises within-side

the American South or all through the whole United States.

Both blacks and whites at that time came to define slavery in a way that differed greatly

from one another. There was a tendency for slave masters to interfere in the lives of blacks by

taking charge of how they lived. As an example, they made decisions about the separation of

families, the nullification of marriages, and the threat and punishment of slave women. It is true

that blacks were opposed to slavery not because of its arduous work. However, they were

opposed to slavery because of their loss of freedom and a sense of control over their lives they

felt they had been given by their masters. As a result, many slaves sought independence as much

as possible to limit their masters' control. While whites believed that their slaves were safe and

cared for, blacks did not share this belief. For instance, they often gave them beatings shown in

(Fig. 1) and many masters raped enslaved women. Additionally, they were provided with a small

amount of medicine and clothing. Nevertheless, these provisions became predominant after the

civil war in 1861.

Fig. 1. [An escaped enslaved man named Peter showing

his scarred back at a medical examination in Baton

Rouge, Louisiana, 1863.] (Library of Congress)

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There are five lenses through which one can analyze the defense of slavery. Religion was

used as a basis for slave owners' actions and by others who shared their views. Due to certain

scriptures that mention the master-slave relationship, they maintained that slavery was permitted

by the Bible. Several colonial civilizations perpetuated a deep tradition of slavery through their

efforts. The United States was also dependent on slavery for its existence, as were the ancient

Greek and Roman empires. They believed that every civilized society should have a means of

securing labor, and that such a system was effectively practical. There was also the argument that

slavery was necessary to sustain cotton economies, especially in the Southern states.

As a result of the cotton gin, which brought about a revolution in the American economy

by introducing a revolutionary type of production: cotton, the cotton gin is the most famous

example of this. It was not until 1860 that cotton became an integral part of American life and

commerce. By the mid-nineteenth century, cotton had become an influential staple in many areas

of the country as it had evolved into a highly sought-after product. As cotton's popularity grew, it

was utilized more and more often in agriculture and other industries. Furthermore, cotton was

also widely used for transportation, especially when traveling by ship, in the past. As well as

being used to make clothing and shoes.

Fig. 2. [Slaves worked long hours in the

hot sun picking cotton for their owners.

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Overseers watched the slaves progress and disciplined those that were deemed to be working too

slow.] (Library of Congress)

Slavery became more prevalent after the cotton gin was invented, which resulted in a

heightened demand for cotton. The exportation of cotton resulted in an increase in the use of

slave labor among whites in the South and North. Slave masters in the South argued that slave

labor would cause social disorder due to the adverse impact on the economy when certain voices

began questioning slavery.

During the period of the Civil War, slave owners adopted wage labor in the North. For

them, this was a big step backward in terms of productivity as well as efficiency. John Calhoun

is considered to have been one of the most prominent proponents of such a view. There was no

doubt in his mind that slave laborers' conditions in the South were more tenable compared to the

struggles of free laborers in the North.

Fig. 3. [The Worth of Slaves 1860]

(Measuring Worth)

In his view, whenever paid labor existed, if there was a struggle between capital and

labor, progress would be slowed. This is because there would be a struggle between capital and
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labor. By keeping slaves in slavery, capitalism and labor maintained a strong relationship.

Capitalists flourished on the proceeds of their efforts, and slaves were treated well and given

security until old age. Due to this, the South would be able to advance more rapidly. This is

because their slaves could be employed to work in science, education, or even the arts, while

they lived off their slave labor. The 'civilization' of Africans and their removal from their

ancestral ways were viewed as crucial by others taking a more aggressive ideological stance.

Among those who advocated these ideas was Robert Lee.

In his opinion, Africans were in better condition as slaves than they were in their

motherlands. As a result, he believed, one could develop physically, socially, and morally. Due

to the discipline, they would receive from slavery, he believed the black race was destined for

greatness. By doing this, they were encouraged to live better and deal with their own problems.

In their view, making the two races equal would be futile because there are certain racial

differences between whites and blacks. Several black people, such as George Fitzhugh, believed

slavery placed black people at a disadvantage. Considering the brain development of children, he

viewed blacks as lazy and unintelligent. Therefore, they must be restricted so that they don't pose

a threat to themselves or others.

The truth is that such viewpoints are inaccurate without straying too far. Slavery

contradicted Christianity, as well as the basic founding principles of the nation, which

emphasized the inalienable rights of all people. This erroneous institution was justified by

claiming Blacks were inferior. Rather than focusing on the "peculiar institution", white slave

owners focused on the "person". To put it another way, they scorned slaves instead of slavery.

They needed to find another reason to justify their actions since they might have been threatened

by abolitionists and anti-slavery supporters.

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In addition to this, the view that slavery was a necessary machinery for the economy was

also unjustified, as according to Alexis Tocqueville (published in 1835 by Liberty Fund, Inc.),

“Thus it daily makes the exercise of free choice less useful and rarer, restricts the activity of free

will within a narrower compass, and little by little robs each citizen of the proper use of his own

faculties. Equality has prepared men for all this, predisposing them to endure it and often even

regard it as beneficial.” (Tocqueville). Colonies without slavery were more populous and

prospered more than those with slavery, proving that the slave system was unnecessary for

sustaining economic growth. In the southern states, slavery undermined the economy, which was

manifested by the rural setting that persisted; meanwhile, the northern states grew tremendously

because of slavery.

Fig. 4. A map of the United States that shows 'free states,' 'slave states,' and 'undecided' ones, as

it appeared in the book 'American Slavery and Colour,' by William Chambers, 1857.
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Works Cited

Bearden, Romare, et al. “The African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship Slavery-

the Peculiar Institution.” Library of Congress, 9 Feb. 1998,

https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african-american-odyssey/slavery-the-peculiar-institu-
tion.html.

History.com Editors. “Slavery in America.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 12 Nov.

2009, https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery.

“The Making of Tocqueville's Democracy in America.” Online Library of Liberty,

https://oll.libertyfund.org/title/pierson-the-making-of-tocqueville-s-democracy-in-america?
html=true.

Mintz, Steven. “The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.” Historical Context: Was

Slavery the Engine of American Economic Growth? | Gilder Lehrman Institute of

American History, https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/teaching-

resource/historical-context-was-slavery-engine-american-economic-growth.

Rae, Noel. “How Christian Slaveholders Used the Bible to Justify Slavery.” Time, Time, 23 Feb.

2018, https://time.com/5171819/christianity-slavery-book-excerpt/.

Rafuse, Ethan S. “John C. Calhoun: He Started the Civil War.” HistoryNet, HistoryNet, 15 Sept.

2022, https://www.historynet.com/john-c-calhoun-the-man-who-started-the-civil-war/.

“Resistance and Abolition: African: Immigration and Relocation in U.S. History:  Classroom

Materials at the Library of Congress: Library of Congress.” The Library of Congress,

https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/immigration/african/resistance-and-abolition/.