Slavery vs Wage Labour

A detailed Summary of Slavery vs Wage Labour


In the period before the civil war, events were happening which would prove to be destructive to the Union. The United States were roughly divided into two opposing groups - one pro-slavery, and the other pro-wage-labor. There are different primary documents that manifest the two views on the subject.

Those people living in the South under the advantage of slave-labor express an unyielding support of slavery. They compare the conditions of wage workers and slaves, condemning the wage worker system, and appraising the slavery system. As Orestes A. Brownson points out, "the laborer at wages has all the disadvantages of freedom and none of its blessings, while the slave, if denied the blessings, is freed from the disadvantages." Both systems provide no read benefit to the workers, though they be slave or wage worker. Orestes says that slaves are pretty well off considering they are fed daily, clothed, and sheltered. They are scarcely abused - and if abused, only out of need.

William Harper states an important fact: "Security is one of the compensations of the slave's humble position." This is quite true, for who would personally want to murder a slave? (On the other hand, who would want to murder a wage worker?)


Solon Robinson writes that religion is very commonplace in slave-owning households than in wage-labor families in the North. Therefore the whole attitude of slaves is more cheerful, faithful, and obedient than of wage workers. For this very reason, a certain Sir Charles Lyell claims that slaves do not strike. While a group of Irishmen or other wage workers would stop working just to demand a better wage, slaves would do no such thing. Thus, he argues, slaves are much more dependable and safe than wage workers if one would want to grow cash crops.

Anyway, Harper says that a slave is well established and safe from many evils that might befall a worker. Besides, slaves are essential to the economy of the South and the North. How else, Harper argues, would America grow cotton and produce cloth? Abolition of slavery would entirely destroy the economy of America, England, and other countries dependent on the staple crop.

Benefits of the wage-labor system were those that the workers could consider themselves free individuals, not property, or just animals - property of their owner. They could own property themselves, and rise to better positions in life. That was the important th

Some common words found in the essay are:
South It's, Charles Lyell, Union United, Orestes Brownson, Solon Robinson, North South, Theodore Dwight, South North, Harper Security, Anyway Harper, wage workers, wage worker, factory owners, wage-labor system, workers slave,

Approximate Word count = 809
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Politics

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