James Henry Hammond's Utilization Of Slavery From 1860 To 1860

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In 1858, James Henry Hammond proclaimed that “in all social systems there must be a class to do the medial duties, to perform the drudgery of life.” Indeed, Hammond estimated that slavery in the South was contributing roughly $185,000,000 to the total exports of the United States. The utilization of slavery was clearly beneficial to the economy, providing a justification for those in the South to continue imposing on African American slaves what was later criticized by Frederick Douglass as being a “…gross injustice and cruelty.” During the Reconstruction period, the downfall of the economy gave political way for “black codes” to force African Americans back to plantations, where plantation owners would find ways around their few rights and

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