The is Child Slavery

The authors of these readings justify slavery as a good thing. Something that is good for the negroes. George Fitzhugh states in his article ‘The master occupies toward him the place of a parent or guardian.” He also states that by the negros being salves it keeps them out of trouble and keeps them busy. ‘Secondly. The negro is Improvident; will not lay up in summer for the wants of winter; will not accumulate in youth for the exigencies of age.

’ In the article ‘The Universal Law of Slavery, Fitzhugh states ‘He would become an insufferable burden to society.” The Negros do not have a very good place in society. They are looked down upon by the white man and are treated bad.

By them becoming slaves it allows them to have more in life. To be able to be rewarded by their masters. It helps them provide a place to sleep for his family. According to Fitzhugh ‘The negro slaves of the south are the happiest, and, in some sense, the freest people in the world.” In my opinion I think what he means by this is if they are working for a master they had food and a place to live and raise their family. Yes, they have long hard days, but they are never in cruel conditions. Their wife’s do-little work and they are protected by the masters. ‘The women do little hard work and are protected from the despotism of their husband by their masters. The negro men and stout boys work, on the average, in good weather, not more than nine hours a day.”

Slaves are supposed to be ‘the submissive knee-benders’ of society. According to James Henry Hammond in all social systems there must be a class that has to do the unskilled duties, and that class is the slaves. They are the ‘class of manual laborers and ‘operatives,’ as you call them, are essentially slaves.’ Even though they are haired to do the ‘menial duties’ they still expect you to treat them with respect, but if they raise their heads to a level to their master or think they are equal with their master they must be punished.

Slaves are treated like children and has to be looked after as if they are a child. ‘He the Negro is but a grown-up child, and must be governed as a child, not as a lunatic or criminal.” They also made up diseases such as ‘Drapetomania’. Drapetomania is known as the disease causing negros to run away. They tease them with this disease saying if they tried to run away that they had a mental disease and made the slaves think that there is something wrong with them.

Frederick Douglass states in his article ‘What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?’ that ‘…. slavery the great sin and shame of America!’ Abolitionist think that slavery should be abolished because most times only blacks are slaves and according to the Declaration all men are created equal. So therefore, a black man should not be treated any different than a white man. In the article ‘The American Anti-Slavery Society: Declaration of Sentiments’ ‘…. No man has a right to enslave or imbrute his brother ….’ .

The Declaration of Sentiments believes that every man has a right to his own body and that it is just as much a sin to enslave an American as an African . The abolitionist believes ‘That every American citizen, who detains a human being involuntary bondage as his property, is, according to Scripture, a man-stealer. The proslavery authors viewed African American as less than the white man just because the color of his skin. They looked upon them as they were only smart enough and skilled enough to do the unskilled tasks. But the abolitionist does not care about the color of people skin. They see African Americans just as equal as a white man in society.

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