Slavery In America Analysis Essay Example

inflow facilitated extensive farming of crops like tobacco, cotton and food.

The production of cotton and tobacco in the southern states was carried out by African slaves who worked on large plantations owned by white European settlers. This significant historical reality has influenced the shaping of America as it exists today. It is noteworthy that slavery existed in all British colonies across the globe.

Notably, America's founding fathers and eight of the first 12 presidents were wealthy farmers who owned many slaves. This highlights how crucial slavery was in shaping American society and its prominence as a topic in political and social discussions during the 18th and 19th centuries. Ultimately, this led to the only civil war ever fought in America - the American Civil War.

Even though the end of slavery resolved the tension between northern and southern states, which relied on forced labor for agriculture, African Americans faced racial discrimination until formal discrimination was outlawed in the mid-20th century. While emancipation laws were established, historians contend that during the slavery era, enslavement was unavoidable due to Dutch traders bringing Africans as slaves to America and landowners coercing Native Americans into working on plantations against their cultural practices. It is important to note that most slaves were of African origin while other races constituted a negligible portion.

The notion among landowners was that Africans were the best type of slaves compared to other races, while Native Americans weren't preferred as slaves in their own territory since they tended to escape more often. Consequently, they opted to sell them instead. Additionally, there was a danger of hostility when large numbers of Native Americans captured in conflicts - particularly from

Central America - became plantation slaves. Although this era elicited varied reactions around the world, it remains a momentous chapter in the history of this great nation. Most people concur that slavery amounted to a crime against humanity.

Although some may view it as involuntary, slavery was a dehumanizing practice that inflicted lasting damage to the dignity of the Black race. The denial of their constitutional and natural rights subjected slaves to poor living conditions and marginalized their descendants. But perhaps the most heinous effect of slavery was the deprivation of their future. While some African Americans are now successful, many are immigrants, leaving the descendants of slaves still struggling for equality.

Despite changes in laws, African Americans have faced ongoing inequality due to persistent racial prejudice from dominant races. Emancipation after the American civil war provided freedom for slaves, but did not address their potentially fatal living conditions involving starvation, disease outbreaks, and homelessness.

Even though newly freed slaves were released from their masters, they still encountered difficulties due to racial prejudices and did not receive aid. They had to face the same challenges they had experienced under their previous owners, but this time from both society and nature. This marginalization is likely to persist for future generations of these slaves' offspring. Although some individuals argue that slavery played a role in building up the wealth that made the United States the world's greatest economy, others believe that this viewpoint disregards its enormous negative impact on black people in America. The harm caused by slavery continues to affect subsequent generations long after it officially ended more than a century ago.

Despite the Constitution's declaration of equality

for all regardless of skin color, the current level of racial division and hostility in America is comparable to the prejudice that existed during slavery. The objective of achieving racial equality remains unfulfilled as direct consequences of 17th and 18th-century enslavement continue to cause pain for descendants of slaves while dominant races display prejudice towards them. These circumstances have led Americans to believe that freed slaves and African Americans lack imagination and need direction, significantly impacting society's perception since slavery and the civil war ended.

The slavery era is accountable for the sufferings experienced by millions of slaves' descendants, and its impacts are still evident today, making it one of the most significant eras in US history. Despite creating vast wealth, it caused the American Civil War and racial prejudice that divides society.