What Was The Impact Of Slavery On The Old South

The impact of slavery on the Old South is a difficult measure to establish because slavery was the Old South. While the popular adage was “Cotton is King,” it was simply a microcosm of the delusion of the day. Truly, slavery was king. Slavery was the growing tension of the time, political catalyst and ironically crux of American power. To the masses, slavery was a social defining stance; the “peculiar institution” to some and a defining moral line to others, American life was changed depending on what view you took of slavery. No matter your stance at the time, one thing became clear: socially, politically and economically, slavery was the fabric of American success and gave birth to the Old South as we know it today.

At the center of the entire institution of slavery, and central to its defense, was the economic domination it provided a young country in international markets. In the early 19th century, cotton was a popular commodity and overtook sugar as the main crop produced by slave labor. The production of cotton became the nation’s top priority; America supplied ¾ of the cotton supply to the entire world. At the expense of the freedom of an

It carved it’s violent, delusional and shameful success into the fabric of our nation. It made America a world player economically with the dominance of cotton production. Slavery made political leaders of the worst instigators of the terrible practice and would eventually lead to the bloodiest war in our history. The phantom of slavery hung like a cloud of life in the South and existed as a necessary evil at best and a way of life to others. But nothing can be described as more tragic than those who lived it, wasting years of precious life in the cruel and twistedly justified ownership of another human being. To this day, the South carries the scars politically, socially and economically of what birthed it: a peculiar