History of North America

How did slaveholders claim that the north benefited from slavery?

1. The cotton industry. The North was home to a thriving cotton industry, and slaveholders claimed that the North benefited from slavery because it provided a cheap source of labor for the production of cotton. Without slavery, they argued, the cotton industry would not be able to survive, and the North would suffer economically.

2. The shipping industry. Slaveholders also claimed that the North benefited from slavery because it provided a source of revenue for the shipping industry. The transportation of slaves from Africa to the Americas was a major source of income for Northern shipping companies, and slaveholders argued that the North would suffer economically if this trade were to be abolished.

3. The financial industry. Slaveholders also claimed that the North benefited from slavery because it provided a source of investment for the financial industry. Many Northern banks and other financial institutions invested in the slave trade, and slaveholders argued that the North would suffer economically if these investments were to be lost.

4. The political power. Slaveholders also claimed that the North benefited from slavery because it gave them political power. The South had a disproportionate amount of representation in Congress and the Electoral College, and slaveholders argued that this was because of the economic power of the slave trade. They argued that the North would lose this political power if slavery were to be abolished.

These are just some of the ways that slaveholders claimed that the North benefited from slavery. By arguing that the North was complicit in the institution of slavery, slaveholders sought to justify their own actions and to silence any opposition to slavery.