The Importance of Slavery

Slavery was the single most important factor in the rise of the United States. African slaves provided not only a huge work force, but also a cheap one. They contributed everywhere from farms to the maritime industry. Their population allowed the nation to grow and turn into a power.

From the seventeenth to the nineteenth century, over six hundred thousand African slaves were shipped to the United States. By the mid 1800’s, the African slave population had grown to be over 4 million.[1] That number doesn’t include all of the free blacks and those that were born of a mixed decent of both Caucasian and African decent. If you combine these three numbers, individuals of African descent almost reached eight million by the mid-eighteenth century. That is almost a third of the entire population of the U.S. during that time.[2] This large demographic helped the country grow and be able to sustain itself during early wars such as the Civil War.

As a developing nation, African slaves offered an incredibly cheap and even skilled workforce. Slaves from the west coast of Africa brought knowledge that ended up being immensely useful making sugar and other cash crops. Slaves in the Maritime industry were crucial. They were immensely important to the transportation network. Without them there wouldn’t have been enough workers to repair boats, “the network would have broken down.”[3]

These ideas can be seen again in 21^st century. Immigrants from Mexico and other Latin American countries supply one of the biggest workforces in California, one of the top ten economies in the world.[4] Movies like “A Day Without a Mexican” joke about how much middle and upper class people in California depend on the Latin community to function. A large number of low paying jobs that make our lives easier, such as fast food employees, gardeners and others help let the economy flow. This was the same three hundred years ago when plantation owners and other high class individuals depended on the black slave to make them money. Without slaves, the United States economy never would have gotten off the ground.

The slave trade helped the United States gain the wealth and population necessary to move into a state of power in the world. Who knows, if wasn’t for slavery the United States may never had grown economically strong enough to separate from the British Empire. There is no absolutely no doubt that if it wasn’t for the African slaves, the U.S. would be a very different place.

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[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_slavery_in_the_United_States

[2] http://members.aol.com/ntgen/hrtg/census.html#ustimeline

[3] http://www.mit.edu/people/bpfoley/slavery2.html

[4] The World Almanac, World Almanac Books, 2006. p. 195.

The Bill of Rights

Without the Bill of Rights, the United States would have failed almost immediately. For hundreds of years, people came to America looking of freedom from the monarchies back in Europe. Thousands were simply tired of being taxed and controlled by what they viewed as unfair rulers. The difference between the kings and queens of old and the new United States, was the Bill of Rights.

In the early stages of the United States’ government, Federalists and anti-Federalists fought over numerous topics. Anti-Federalists were supporters of a weak central government while having strong state governments, while the Federalists essentially wanted the opposite. Theses two parties fought and helped mold the Constitution. However, the Constitution was on the brink of not being ratified. Anti-Federalists continued to argue that there needed to be more of a guarantee that individual’s rights were going to be protected. Here comes in the Bill of Rights. These ten amendments, initially twelve but only ten were ratified, guaranteed American’s freedom of speech and religion, among other important individual rights. The Bill of Rights is the most important constitutional legacy of the Anti-Federalists[1].

Governments in the late 1700’s were in turmoil to say the least. Revolutions, including the United States, were taking place in Europe. France’s century old monarchy was about to fall and there was general unrest with the low classes. The Bill of Rights helped ensure even the poor would be, at least in practice, treated fairly. This bought the country time to settle and focus on establishing itself as a nation.

A large base for the population of the early U.S. was Europeans looking for a place to live and practice any religion they chose. Dozens of different religions were embraced in the in the early states and the Constitution’s framers wanted to ensure none of these religions would have the opportunity to have power over any of the others. The Bill of Rights made it a priority to have a separation of church and state. This helped ensure that individuals’ freedom to practice a religion of their choosing would be safe.

The Bill of Rights highlighted the irony of slavery in the United States. Every right protected in the ten amendments didn’t necessarily “apply” if you weren’t white. Even though it took over half a century, eventually slavery was brought to an end in the U.S. and the country was able to try and move on. The end of slavery was crucial in the United States ability to advance as a society and as a country.

So, the Bill of Rights was one of the most important factors in the U.S. coming together as a nation. It ensured citizens rights and brought about the ratification of the Constitution. Without it, the United States would not be alive today.

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[1] Zinn, Howard. APeople's History of the United States. New York: The New Press, 2003