10.3 Pro-Slavery Arguments and Southern Responses

Pro-slavery arguments in the antebellum South were complex and multifaceted. Supporters used moral, religious, economic, and pseudoscientific justifications to defend the institution of slavery, claiming it was beneficial for both enslaved people and society.

Southern writers and intellectuals responded to growing abolitionist sentiment by developing elaborate defenses of slavery. They used literature, magazines, and political writings to argue that slavery was a positive good, essential to the Southern way of life and economy.

Moral and Religious Justifications

Paternalistic Justifications

Top images from around the web for Paternalistic Justifications

• 

  File:Slave sale poster.jpg - Wikimedia Commons View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Reclaiming The Weeping Time · Global Voices View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Glossary of American slavery - Wikipedia View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  File:Slave sale poster.jpg - Wikimedia Commons View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Reclaiming The Weeping Time · Global Voices View original

  Is this image relevant?

1 of 3

Top images from around the web for Paternalistic Justifications

• 

  File:Slave sale poster.jpg - Wikimedia Commons View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Reclaiming The Weeping Time · Global Voices View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Glossary of American slavery - Wikipedia View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  File:Slave sale poster.jpg - Wikimedia Commons View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Reclaiming The Weeping Time · Global Voices View original

  Is this image relevant?

1 of 3

• Pro-slavery advocates argued that slavery was a benevolent and paternal system that benefited enslaved people
• Claimed that enslaved people were incapable of caring for themselves and needed the guidance and protection of white masters
• Portrayed slavery as a positive institution that provided food, shelter, and care for enslaved individuals (clothing)
• Argued that the master-slave relationship was similar to that of a father and child, with the master having a moral obligation to care for his "family"

Biblical and Religious Defenses

• Used biblical passages to justify the existence and practice of slavery, particularly references to slavery in the Old Testament
• Argued that slavery was sanctioned by God and that it was the natural order of things
• Claimed that Africans were descendants of Ham, who was cursed by Noah, and thus their enslavement was a divine punishment (Curse of Ham)
• Maintained that Christianity could be used to improve the lives of enslaved people and that it was the duty of masters to provide religious instruction

Positive Good Theory

• George Fitzhugh, a prominent pro-slavery writer, developed the "positive good" theory, which argued that slavery was a positive institution that benefited both the enslaved and society as a whole
• Claimed that slavery provided a stable and orderly society, as opposed to the chaos and instability of free labor systems
• Argued that enslaved people were better off under slavery than they would be as free laborers, as they were provided with basic necessities and protection
• Maintained that slavery created a sense of community and belonging for enslaved individuals, who were part of a larger "family" structure

Economic and Political Arguments

Economic Benefits of Slavery

• Pro-slavery advocates argued that slavery was essential to the Southern economy and that its abolition would lead to economic ruin
• Claimed that slave labor was necessary for the production of cash crops like cotton, tobacco, and sugar, which were vital to the Southern economy (rice)
• Maintained that slavery allowed for the efficient and profitable cultivation of large plantations, which would not be possible with free labor
• Argued that the wealth generated by slavery benefited not only the South but the entire United States, as Southern cotton fed Northern textile mills

States' Rights and Political Autonomy

• John C. Calhoun, a prominent Southern politician, argued that states had the right to determine their own policies regarding slavery without federal interference
• Claimed that the U.S. Constitution protected the institution of slavery and that any attempts to limit or abolish it were a violation of states' rights
• Maintained that the federal government had no authority to regulate or prohibit slavery in the territories or new states
• Argued that the growing abolitionist movement in the North posed a threat to Southern political autonomy and way of life

Pseudoscientific Racism

Racial Hierarchies and Inherent Inferiority

• Pro-slavery advocates used pseudoscientific theories to argue for the inherent inferiority of Africans and the superiority of the white race
• Claimed that Africans were biologically and intellectually inferior to whites and that this justified their enslavement
• Used craniometry, the measurement of skull size and shape, to argue that Africans had smaller brains and were thus less intelligent (phrenology)
• Maintained that Africans were more primitive and less evolved than Europeans, drawing on theories of polygenesis (separate origins of races)
• Argued that slavery was a natural result of these racial differences and that it was the "white man's burden" to civilize and control inferior races

Southern Literary Response

Proslavery Literature in the Southern Literary Messenger

• The Southern Literary Messenger, a prominent Southern literary magazine, published articles and essays defending slavery and promoting Southern culture
• Featured works by pro-slavery writers such as George Fitzhugh, who used the platform to disseminate his ideas about the positive good of slavery
• Published reviews of abolitionist literature that criticized and dismissed anti-slavery arguments
• Served as a forum for Southern intellectuals to develop and refine pro-slavery arguments, contributing to the growing sectionalism between North and South
• Reflected the increasing importance of literature and print culture in shaping public opinion and political debates over slavery