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Without the Civil War slavery would have ceased to make any economic sense by the 1880's and by the turn of the century would be gone in the United States besides from maybe a few very small enclaves. the bigger question here is what effect this would have had on slavery in Brazil which was originally outlawed in the 1880's but that was only because of international pressure and if the US still had slavery at the time I could see Brazil hanging on into the early 1900's.
Brazil was the capitol of slavery in the New World.....The Brits, Portugal and Spain made the U.S. look like amateurs in the slave trade business.
You would never know that when Brazil is always in a party mode and there is no deep racial divisions in that country or any latin country where they had high % of slavery.......meanwhile we have the Al Sharptons and Jesse Jackson's telling us every day how bad the U.S. is and how bad we treat black people. Only in America!
Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States...Mississippi Federal Writers Slave Autobiographies
"Us lived nice. My people was smart. My white people was good white people. Dey wanrt brutish; never whupped us or nothin lak dat. I don't know nothin' bout no meanness".
Slaves was whupped when dey wouldn't work right. Sometimes dey was lazy.
I really found this book interesting, I love autobiographies, and the perspective of history from this book is fantastic. I was really expecting some sort of Harriet Stowe anthology, and I surprised, it was very authentic, but the saddest were the stories of these people, this was prior to Social Security, in the early 30's...
"How do I live? Well I gits a pension of fo dollars a monthi, an I wash a bit for de colored folk, an den, I beg for food". The Missy Evans would takes care of dey old folk...I never knowed much what slavry was bout, to tell de truf. De folks never treated us wrong".
The stories in this book don't make slavery look too bad for the folks interviewed in this book.
Without the Civil War slavery would have ceased to make any economic sense by the 1880's
Based upon what? Cotton remained a mainstay of the southern agriculture until well into the latter part of the 20th century and didn't enjoy any level of mechanization until the post WWII era. Additionally in the ante-bellum era, Southern planters substituted slavery with virtual serfdom, violently thwarting attempts to migrate out of the south, establishing the share-cropper system, all under implacable social/political framework enforced by a reign of night riding terror that made the lives of African Americans free in name only.
As for Brazil... the transition from slavery to emancipation wasn't as binary as you attempt to make it appear. Slavery was only abolished as a result of royal decree which was resisted by the large plantation slave owners who unlike their confederate brethren were militarily incapable of opposing.
Pedro gradually passed laws that liberated his subjects. By the late 1880s, it was just a matter of time before the emperor abolished slavery in Brazil altogether. Unfortunately for the Crown, Brazilian landowners and the country's military leadership were not keen on the liberalizing policies of Pedro II. The abolition of slavery subjected landowners to higher capital investment in manpower, and since these conservative groups were the mainstay of the military, the armed forces were predisposed to side with the land-owning classes. Dom Pedro was traveling in Europe when Princess Isabel (shown 3rd from left, standing), acting as regent in her father's stead, passed a law abolishing slavery in Brazil on May 13, 1888.
This law, commonly known as the Golden Law, not only brought international praise to the Brazilian imperial family, but also condemned the Crown. The landowners quickly organized and built opposition to the monarchy. Revolts broke out in different regions of the country. In many instances Brazil’s republican neighbors, countries that had always resisted having an emperor in Latin Americ, helped these revolts. Princess Imperial Isabel's decree eventually led to the proclamation of the Brazilian Republic on November 16, 1889. But in the centuries since, forced labor has survived here.
Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States...Mississippi Federal Writers Slave Autobiographies
The stories in this book don't make slavery look too bad for the folks interviewed in this book.
Yeah, nothing sounds so bad when interview black folks living in Mississippi in the 1930's who were too young to remember anything about slavery or if they did, dared say anything bad about white folks and their peculiar institution.
As Sam McAllum, Ex-slave, Lauderdale County interview doesn't cast doubts on the frankness of his interview would indicate to the discerning reader.
"Dem Ku Kluxes was de debbil. De ******s sho' was scared of 'em, but dey was more after dem carpet-baggers dan de ******s. I lived right in 'mongst 'em, but I wouldn' tell. No Ma'm! I knowed 'em, but I dasn' talk. Sometimes dey would go right in de fiel's an' take folks out an' kill 'em. Aint none of 'em lef' now. Dey is all dead an' gone, but dey sho' was rabid den. I never got in no trouble wid 'em, 'cause I tended my business an' kep' out o' dey way. I'd-a been kilt if I'd-a run 'roun' an' done any big talkin'.
Some might say it is downright peculiar that you insist on citing this single series of interviews while ignoring the copious narratives of those who as adults black and white, slave and freeman recounted thier eye witness accounts of slavery. Well not that peculiar when you think about it.
One way or another, it would have ended, just as it did in every other country. There was already growing support of abolishing the institution. The real question was, when?
The American south was slow to grow. The north was becoming an industrial power, while manufacturing only accounted for a quarter of the south's economy. The majority was poorer, and life was harder. The only answer would have been to industrialize or resemble a 3rd world country.
But why is everyone debating the ethics of slavery, or the quality of life of a slave? The fact of the matter is, slavery was a commodity traded around the world for hundreds and thousands of years. A slave was the equivalent of a barrel of oil today. Regardless of the ethical implications, slavery was the lifeblood of the south's economy during that time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ovcatto
Yeah, nothing sounds so bad when interview black folks living in Mississippi in the 1930's who were too young to remember anything about slavery or if they did, dared say anything bad about white folks and their peculiar institution.
As Sam McAllum, Ex-slave, Lauderdale County interview doesn't cast doubts on the frankness of his interview would indicate to the discerning reader.
"Dem Ku Kluxes was de debbil. De ******s sho' was scared of 'em, but dey was more after dem carpet-baggers dan de ******s. I lived right in 'mongst 'em, but I wouldn' tell. No Ma'm! I knowed 'em, but I dasn' talk. Sometimes dey would go right in de fiel's an' take folks out an' kill 'em. Aint none of 'em lef' now. Dey is all dead an' gone, but dey sho' was rabid den. I never got in no trouble wid 'em, 'cause I tended my business an' kep' out o' dey way. I'd-a been kilt if I'd-a run 'roun' an' done any big talkin'.
Some might say it is downright peculiar that you insist on citing this single series of interviews while ignoring the copious narratives of those who as adults black and white, slave and freeman recounted thier eye witness accounts of slavery. Well not that peculiar when you think about it.
The narrative you provided concerns the KKK, which has nothing to do with the institution of slavery. I'm sure most would agree that the KKK's sole purpose was to terrorize the African American community, primarily by means of violence.
One way or another, it would have ended, just as it did in every other country. There was already growing support of abolishing the institution. The real question was, when?
The American south was slow to grow. The north was becoming an industrial power, while manufacturing only accounted for a quarter of the south's economy. The majority was poorer, and life was harder. The only answer would have been to industrialize or resemble a 3rd world country.
But why is everyone debating the ethics of slavery, or the quality of life of a slave? The fact of the matter is, slavery was a commodity traded around the world for hundreds and thousands of years. A slave was the equivalent of a barrel of oil today. Regardless of the ethical implications, slavery was the lifeblood of the south's economy during that time.
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I agree, the North was trying to choke the South's economy by cutting their main economy with nothing to replace it.........the North treated the South the same way even after the Civil War.
The narrative you provided concerns the KKK, which has nothing to do with the institution of slavery. I'm sure most would agree that the KKK's sole purpose was to terrorize the African American community, primarily by means of violence.
Yes, and it speaks to the point that any interview with black folks living in Mississippi in the 1930's is going to be more than a bit circumspect when it comes to shedding a bad light on the behavior of southern white folks. It's like asking a Soviet citizen in 1930's and expecting a negative appraisal of Stalin's gulags.
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