Slavery and Freedom essays

Slavery and Freedom essays Morgan in retrospect chronicles the surrounding events of American history, focusing on the asymmetric growth pattern between slavery and freedom, this Morgan reckons to be the central paradox in American History. He states The rise of liberty and equality in this country was accompanied by the rise of slavery. That two such contradictory developments were taking place simultaneously over a long period of our history, from the seventeenth century to the nineteenth, is the central paradox of American History (2 p.52). He analyzes the views and ideals of prominent individuals in that era with reference to their influential and contradictory decisions made therein to fortify his argument of slavery and freedom. He also highlights the events that led to the rise of slave trade resulting in the liberty and equality of the indentured slaves to the African man, resulting in a racially motivated democratic government. Morgan highlights Thomas Jeffersons enigmatic posture towards slavery as controversial to his view of the freeman. He states Jefferson did not believe in slavery but in a freedom that sprang from the independence of the individual. The man who depended on another for his living could never be truly free(5 p.53). Although Jefferson had slaves, he feared their freedom would prove detrimental to the society unless they where well prepared for an independent life in the free world. He held the notion that when slaves ceased to be slaves they would become instead a half million idle poor, who would create the same problems for the United States that the idle poor of Europe did for their states. The slave, accustomed to compulsory labor, would not work to support himself when the compulsion was removed(11 p.54). This view may have also been influenced by his or his countrymens racial prejudice, which solely supports the American paradox. Morgan emphasizes the fact that the ...