Cotton is king, and pro-slavery arguments : $b comprising the writings of Hammond, Harper, Christy, Stringfellow, Hodge, Bledsoe, and Cartwright, on this important subject
History
Cotton is king, and pro-slavery arguments : $b comprising the writings of Hammond, Harper, Christy, Stringfellow, Hodge, Bledsoe, and Cartwright, on this important subject
Scott, Dred, 1809-1858; Slavery -- Justification; Slavery -- United States; United States -- Fugitive slave law (1850)
KING COTTON cares not whether he employs slaves or freemen. It is the
_cotton_, not the _slaves_, upon which his throne is based. Let freemen
do his work as well, and he will not object to the change. The efforts
of his most powerful ally, Great Britain, to promote that object, have
already cost her people many hundreds of millions of dollars, with total
failure as a reward for her zeal; and she is now compelled to resort to
the expedient of employing the slave labor of Africa, to meet the
necessities of her manufacturers. One-sixth of the colored people of the
United States are free; but they shun the cotton regions, and have been
instructed to detest emigration to Liberia. Their improvement has not
been such as was anticipated; and their more rapid advancement can not
be expected, while they remain in the country. The free colored people
of the British West Indies, can no longer be relied on to furnish
tropical products, for they are resting contented in a state of almost
savage indolence; and the introduction of coolie labor has become
indispensable as a means of saving the Islands from ruin, as well as of
forcing the negro into habits of industry. Hayti is not in a more
promising condition; and even if it were, its population and territory
are too limited to enable it to meet the increasing demand. HIS MAJESTY,
KING COTTON, therefore, is forced to continue the employment of his
slaves; and, by their toil, is riding on, conquering and to conquer! He
receives no check from the cries of the oppressed, while the citizens of
the world are dragging forward his chariot, and shouting aloud his
praise!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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