Myths About Slavery
Contrary to popular belief:
- Slavery was a northern institution
- The North held slaves for over two centuries
- The North abolished slavery only just before the Civil War
- The North dominated the slave trade
- The North built its economy around slavery
- The North industrialized with slave-picked cotton and the profits from slavery
- Slavery was a national institution
- Slavery was practiced by all thirteen colonies
- Slavery was enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and practiced by all thirteen original states
- The slave trade was permitted by the federal government until 1808
- Federal laws protected slavery and assisted slave owners in retrieving runaway slaves
- The Union was deeply divided over slavery until the end of the Civil War
- Slavery benefited middle-class families
- Slavery dominated the northern and southern economies during the colonial era and up to the Civil War
- Ordinary people built ships, produced trade goods, and invested in shares of slave voyages
- Workers in all regions benefited economically from slavery and slavery-related businesses
- Consumers bought and benefited from lower prices on goods like coffee, sugar, tobacco, and cotton
- Slavery benefited immigrant families
- Immigrants who arrived after the Civil War still benefited from slavery and its aftermath
- Immigrants flocked to the “land of opportunity” made possible by the unpaid labor of enslaved people
- Immigrants found routes to prosperity which were closed to the families of former slaves
- Federal programs in the 20th century provided white families with aid for education, home ownership, and small businesses
