Slavery in New York and the South - Assignment Example

The south as per historical information is dependent on the farming of cotton. Conversely, slavery as an institution in America was widespread over the whole nation. The American society in New York, or the South was dependent on the slaves for manual prospects in the day-to-day livelihoods. The slave system in New York is substantially similar to the slavery in the south. Despite the difference in the geography of the two zones, the purpose of slavery and the consequent treatment of slaves in the two regions was the same.

The circumstances that led to the preference of slave labor in both New York and the south are similar. In New York, the period prior to the enslavement regime showcases a place whereby labor providers were mostly residents from Britain, who were either lawbreakers avoiding a jail term or jobless individuals[1]. In the south, the situation was similar in that the workers prior to the slavery period were immigrants from Britain. After some time, the Britons would leave especially after attaining skills[2]. The fact was after a short span of time. History also puts forward that economy of England was improving. Therefore, in the 18th and 17th centuries, the employment levels in the nation became more promising. Consequently, the number of residents leaving the country became fewer by the day. Due to the fact, work in America became hard to come by, and other sources of labor became not only important but also significant. The records state that New York became the center of the slave trade. The city was also dependent on slave labor for the development programs then. In a similar view, the south was likewise a market for the slaves. The main reason behind the proposition is that the vast firms in the south were in need of stable and efficient work. The scenario thus was similar in the two locations since both were destinations for the black slaves.

Slavery in the south turns out to be dominant despite the test of time unlike in New York City. The economy of the south found its foundation in the slavery system. Although the enslavement codes were at practice in New York, the place was one of the first locations that the proposals for the abolishment of the slave trade became known. However, the slavery system did not change especially in the colonial period[3]. The view of the slaves as property with no legal rights and the slaves being at the mercy of the owners was in practice in both the south and in New York City.

The treatment of the slaves in New York, as well as the south, was unbearable. During the colonial period, estimation puts forward that about forty percent of the households in New York were host to slaves. The problem that became eminent is that there was no place that could serve as the servant quotas. The slaves thus slept in the subterranean vault of the townhouses or the roof space of most apartments. The remains that were found in New York in 1991 also establish the harsh conditions that the slaves underwent. In respect to the remains of the slaves, labor must have been hard since the bone structures of the remains display fractures. Child labor is similarly a problem of the enslavement era in New York. On the other hand, slaves in the south, slave labor was a constituent of the human resource. Most children could commence work from the age of ten or twelve years of age. History furthermore reveals that august which was the period of harvesting the products from the fields was a period of fear as well as hard work for the African Americans at that particular time. In addition, the slaves would live in large numbers in small cottages[4]. The slave codes also made life for the slaves harder.

The black population after some time started to revolt against the slavery tradition. Black abolitionists like W.E.B Du Bois employed philosophical measures such as demonstrations against enslavement. The black abolitionists were not only after the ending of slavery but were similarly after full emancipation of the African American slaves. The blacks in the south joined hands with the white abolitionist in the north, New York inclusive for the fight against slavery thus creating a similarity in both the locations[5]. However, the whites in the south were reluctant to abolition of the inhuman institution while the in new Yorkers were some of the first to let go of the bondage body. Therefore, there are no considerable facts to create ample differences in the slavery of New York City and the south. Read More