This is an essay I wrote for my English 120 class. It is entitled: "The Effects of Slavery in Politics and Culture".
Slavery in the Americas has had inconceivable affects on the population of the modern United States, which results not only from slavery but how people reacted to it. Slavery in the United States has been the root of many controversial and often discussed topics. Many argue that, without slavery, America would never have broken away from England and would have remained under the control of England’s monarchy. Slavery is without doubt the reason behind the Civil War and many cite slavery as having a major role in perpetuating racism in the United States, especially among Caucasians and African-Americans. As unfortunate as slavery has been in the United States, it is nonetheless a piece of the past that has been documented endlessly by historians and is taught to children in public schools everywhere. Despite many people viewing slavery with disgust and horror, it is still a part of America’s history and has had many everlasting effects.
Ironically, there are many who have managed to argue that slavery was instrumental in helping to free the colonies from England. Without slaves to work in the fields and aid in other difficult labors, the idea of the original thirteen colonies becoming an independent nation would have been ridiculous. The original colonists would not have had the manpower to produce enough exports to establish a stable economy. Even if they managed to break free of colonial rule, they would have collapsed due to a lack of self-sufficiency. America would not have been able to support itself or purchase imported goods. However, with the use of slaves, or lesser-known indentured servants, poor immigrants who paid for their transportation to America with seven-year’s labor, the wilderness of North America was colonized and farmers began to grow vast amounts of tobacco and eventually cotton. With vast plantations being established by the wealthy, it became necessary to hire more and more people to tend to the fields. However, few people were willing to work for the wages offered and it became easier for the landowners to purchase slaves. Slaves helped to keep the American dream alive and establish a land where democracy reigns, where people can make their own future, and where liberty is available to everyone. Such a land where African-Americans would be equally respected would not have been realized, as soon at any rate, if not for the efforts of early slaves. Slavery is still in no means condoned, but the North American continent would have been a very different place without the enslavement of a whole race. In the end, it was the slaves who helped to till the land of the free. Though the original slaves may never have reaped the rewards of their efforts, their ancestors would eventually be free citizens and would have all of the same opportunities as the masters who once had control over them.
The numerous and highly evident disagreements in regards to slavery led to the Civil War. The American Civil War was fought between the Northern and Southern colonies of the United States between 1861 and 1865 and led to the passing of the Emancipation Proclamation; eventually the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified and all slaves were freed. The Emancipation Proclamation was only written with the intention to free slaves in all southern colonies for strategic purposes. However, by the end of the American Civil War, all African-Americans were free citizens. The very issue of human enslavement led to its inevitable demise but only after reaching a death count upwards of 970,000 (Nofi). The Civil War itself has divided a large portion of the nation between the North and the South. Many are still unwilling to believe the Confederacy lost and their beliefs and standards in regards to black people have been reinforced further. The south is known for being more conservative and for being home to great racial tension. Over ninety percent of the black population is democratic; however, the south is dominantly conservative, as seen in the past few presidential elections due to the portion of whites that are Republican. Many hate crimes are still committed amongst the numerous communities and there are sects of the Ku Klux Klan that are still active; however, membership has declined (ADL). Blacks and white continue to disagree, and blacks in particular find it hard to be seen the same as their Caucasian neighbors.
Unfortunately, there are everlasting repercussions, as there are with all events so deeply engrained in society, which have been hard to overcome. The most prominent result of slavery perhaps is racism. It is felt in almost every subdivision and office building; whether it is intentional or inherent, racism has become a permanent fixture of our society, specifically between white people and black people. It was not until the 1960s that African-Americans gained equality by means of the Civil Rights Movement. However, they have yet to achieve true equality. Though they may attend the same schools and use the same drinking fountains as white people, they are still hated and persecuted by some. Also, there are black people who express disdain towards white people because white colonists enslaved the African-Americans’ ancestors. No doubt, this is a never-ending cycle. Ideally, this situation would have been diffused by now, but too many people, on both sides, are unwilling to see eye-to-eye. Gangs have been formed with the sole purpose of expressing black supremacy. The whites formed the Ku Klux Klan soon after the Civil War in an effort to scare former slaves away so that whites could live in a society where only they were tolerated. Amongst all of the violence that has resulted from fighting and even misinterpreted actions by well-intentioned people, hatred has continued to perpetuate. However, music and other art mediums have helped to bridge the gap between people of varying ethnicities. For example, Anthrax, a thrash metal group formed in the eighties was able to collaborate with Public Enemy, a popular hip hop group, on the song, “Bring the Noise”, helping people to realize the similarities between blacks and whites and helping people to not only come together, sharing in creative expression and similar ideas, but also to ignore the past.
In the end, slavery in America has done a lot for our society. In the beginning it was slaves who helped to support and found the land of the free. Even a war was fought to help them gain equal rights amongst their peers of varying origins. African-Americans have fought many more wars in their continuing quest for equality, and though progress has been made, there are still those who refuse to denounce the superiority they have never possessed or ever will possess. There is an everlasting division that struggles to be overcome; blacks and whites may never truly be viewed on the same level or compared in an equal light. Stereotypes and misguided conceptions continue to govern how people really think. Slavery has ended up dictating more than harvests and the financial success of colonial farmers; slavery has defined how people think of each other and how they view what they are doing.
