After the discovery of the Americas, Europe with its long history was suddenly eager to learn more about the people of the New World (Stanchak 12). It did not take long before some Europeans moved and settled in the Americas. Because of this, several changes were witnessed in the Americas. Unlike the north, the south had huge plantations of cotton that required intensive labor. Owing to this, the transatlantic slave trade offered a solution.
The above was not the case in the north because there were no plantations like those in the south. Many literatures have suggested that the southerners embraced slavery and mistreated their slaves. According to the literatures, the northerners were more accommodating to the slaves and did not embrace the practice as the southerners did. However, after a thorough research I have noted that the historians have twisted their interpretations in favor of the northerners and the southerners. Therefore, if the north had plantations that needed labor they would not have fought against slavery as they did.
The idea that the northern states were more accommodating to the slaves compared to the southern states is a misconception. It is a fact that if the northern states had huge cotton or tobacco plantations they would have embraced slavery. During the 18th and 19th century, the American continent had vast and tough lands (Stanchak 23). A number of men and women were required to work on these lands. Servants from Europe crossed through the Atlantic to resolve the challenge.
Nevertheless, their presence did not solve the problem. However, when African slaves were shipped into the region the solution to the problem was realized. As such, the slaves proved to be more cost-effective on huge farms growing labor-intensive produces. Unlike the northern states, the southern states had huge farms under cotton and tobacco. In this regard, the slaves came in handy. The above imply that if the northern economy had been agriculturally dependent like the southern economy, slavery could have been embraced in the north.
Similarly, the above illustrations indicate that it was not cost effective for the northerners to own more slaves compared to the southerners. Cold winters were very prevalent in the northern states. On the other hand, the southern states experienced mild winters. Thus, the south offered more conducive environment for the growth of cotton and tobacco. Equally, the climate in the north necessitated that the owners of slaves offer warmer clothing, warmer shelter, and food.
Clothing materials and food were obtained from the southern states. In the southern states, clothing material and foods were low-priced and readily available because they were grown locally. In this respect, it was more economical to own a slave in the south than in the north. The above illustrations indicate why the northerners were very eager in abolishing the slavery, as it was very costly to them. On the other hand, the southerners fought so hard to retain slavery because it was very cheap to maintain them and provided with cheap labor.
It should be noted that the northerners also mistreated their slaves. Slave mistreatment in the north was not pronounced like in the south because there were few slaves. Therefore, northern slave owners could not be easily spotted mistreating their slaves. For example, The View from the Bottom Rail details specific cases of slave owners from the north and other northerners such as missionaries mistreating the freed people (Davidson &Mark 178).
In addition, the northerners that were very vigorously engaged in the liberation wars were not entirely concerned with the freeing of the slaves. As an alternative, they were preoccupied with the necessity to show their superiority over the southerners. For example, Slavery describes the abolitionist movements the northerners organized and the war of the Yankees against rich slave owners in the south as hugely successful missions (Engerman, Seymour, & Robert 22). Therefore, if the north and south had the same opportunities like large agricultural farms both regions could have embraced slavery.
In conclusion, it should be noted that one of the major events witnessed after the discovery of the America was the Atlantic slave trade. Unlike other slavery incidences in the human history, the Atlantic slave trade was the worse. The Atlantic slave trade resulted in thousands of African slaves being transported to the new world to work in the farms and factories. The practiced continued for most parts of the 18th and 19th century. Notably, most of the African slaves were sold in the south.
If the North had plantations that needed labor, they would not have fought against slavery as they did. The idea that the Northern states were more accommodating to the slaves compared to the southern states is a misconception. As such, the slaves proved to be more cost-effective on huge farms growing labor-intensive produces. Unlike the northern states, the southern states had huge farms under cotton and tobacco. In this regard, the slaves came in handy.
Works Cited
Davidson James and Mark Lytle. The View from the Bottom Rail. New York: Knopf, 1982. Print.
Engerman, Stanley, Seymour Drescher, and Robert Paquette. Slavery. Oxford: Oxford Press, 2001. Print.
Stanchak, John. Civil War. New York: Dorling Kindersley Pub., 2000. Print.