Slavery in the 1830's, Anti-Slavery Spin

 Slavery in the 1830’s had many different views. The presence of slavery was less than most would expect. The opinions on slavery remained divided between the North and the South. In the South most still supported slavery. In the North, most were fairly against slavery. The conditions of slaves were horrible and relentless. 

In the 1830’s slavery lay primarily in the South. Three-quarters of Southern white people did not own slaves anymore, and those who did mainly owned 20 or fewer. However, Southerners who did not own slaves still supported the institution of slavery. There was a bond between the families of slave owners and the slave families. Many enslaved children would form close bonds with the white children and caretakers, and the white children became attached to black nannies. 

The conditions of slaves remained poor. Heat and humidity in the South created numerous health problems. The presence of unsanitary conditions, inadequate nutrition, and unrelenting hard labor made disease in the slave community a problem. Child mortality within slavery was around 60% and on rice plantations, child mortality reached as high as 90%. Families were being separated through being sold and never being able to see each other again. 

In the 1830’s, slave codes were in place in the South. The slave codes considered slaves as property and treated them that way.  Slaves couldn’t testify against white people in court. They couldn’t leave the plantation without permission. They couldn’t defend themselves or own firearms. They couldn’t buy and sell goods. There were many more rights that slaves did not have that free people did. If a slave was killed, it wasn’t seen as murder. Overall, the rights of slaves were completely stripped away, and they were not being treated as people at all in the South. 

In many places in the South slaves and free African Americans completely outnumbered white people. Some slaves got themselves hired out by their masters. The contact slaves had with free black people gave them a new view and resistance against slavery. In this time slaves truly began to resist slavery. Slaves were boycotting work, purposefully making their property value lower, and running away. Slaves were sabotaging the entire slave system. 

Overall, the idea of slavery was fairly opposed, or lowered in existence. Slavery was becoming less normalized, and slaves were beginning to fight for their own freedom. The civil war would begin in around 30 years, and the fight against slavery was just beginning. Slaves, freemen, and whites were starting to see the wrongs of slavery. With the differing views across the North, and South, the future of slavery seemed uncertain. Slavery was a moral wrong. There were also many religious arguments against slavery. Slaves started turning back to their religious roots. Religion gave slaves inspiration for something better and gave solstice to them. Some slaves would hold their own religious gatherings and began to resist bondage more and more. 

With the downfall of slavery, there was less reason to keep the institution in place. It was not benefiting people as much as it originally did. The need for slavery decreased. The moral arguments against slavery were getting stronger than ever.