Essay - American Slavery John S.) American Slavery After the Civil War...

American Slavery

John S.)

American *****lavery after the Civil War

From ***** Point of View ***** Freed Slaves

The slave experience in the United States was one of economic necessity to the Sou*****rn elite, and that necessity did not change after the Civil *****. Although there were no slaves after emancipation, the slaves still had little opportunity to have better opportunities ***** life. This is reflected in a letter from former South Carolina slaves ***** Union General O.O. Howard, in which the former slave committee ***** ***** Carolina petitions to ***** General ***** they must retain their own land or their life will ********** change and ***** will remain tied ***** the l***** and as ***** subordinates to the same ruling elite as they had prior to the Civil War. If considering this particular piece of historical evidence within the larger framework ***** the life experience of an American slave, it is clear that ***** ***** lived difficult lives with little opportunity for social and economic improvement. ***** kept this in mind, and thus even ***** their emancipation they ***** not expect complete equality. Ultimately, the ***** experience in ***** United States did not change significantly after the Civil ********** expectations and expected experiences among former slaves remained similar to those ********** held during slavery.

The slave experience in the United States has been defined historically by *****ir ***** necessity to the l*****owners. Before slaves were imported, ********** same landowners seized the land from ***** Native Americans and even tried to enslave the ***** Americans (Parent 24). The "emerging elite (would) treat l***** as a commodity," and such an attitude would have an effect on slaves in the future as land was a commodity because land was the source for ***** agriculture that would lead to wealth (Parent 25). Ultimately ***** use of the ***** would lead ***** ***** ***** adapt the "headright system" leading the land to be seized by ***** elite, laying the ***** for slavery. As whites were being used as farming servants, it eventually became clear that blacks can make tobacco cheaper than ***** and ***** began the introduction of slaves in the British colonies (***** 66).

As slaves began to be used in *****, their role ***** the economic ***** became ***** utmost importance. Tobacco, for example, was a crop th*****t was sold for very cheap and thus it required ***** and cheaper labor until that labor was free. ***** costs of supporting and raising black slave families, which was originally thought of as too high, eventually gave way to the profitability of using free *****. After *****s ***** ***** main source ***** labor, they became the main source of income for elite whites. ***** resulted in both a coercive economy *****nd a coercive st*****te (Parent 105). Slaves were integral aspects of ***** economy and the white l*****owners, who controlled the land, had matching control over ***** slaves and their lives. The way of life for the white elite was dependent on slave labor, making