Sociology of the South

Mihalache  Roxana

Sociology of the south part 2

The second part of the text , George Fitzhugh who talks about the demise of the economy of the slave owning class . The blame is put on the economic expansion of the North states that stands against slavery  where as the South was brought down by the fact that it focused on  agriculture. A false sense of  freedom was given to the slaves by the fact that they were able  to buy  Northern manufactures  . It is also sad that   the slaves  could be employed in harsher  works  such as iron mining , brick making and the manufacture of cotton and tobacco , the  finishing processes  being reserved to the whites .

The freedom  of slaves is seen as unimaginable as giving white children  the same freedom and rights at the age of fourteen as adults , this is seen to be  criminal because it sets  the individual up against  the   unfair competition  of the world in which they live. The presence of the  slave owner  , the master if seen as guarding  figure  like a parent that may allow the  may allow the offspring to work   but it is also underlined  that the master is restrained from selling the slave .

The practice of slavery on the north American continent is compared to the practice of slavery in ancient  cultures such as Egypt , that negroes came into contact with and could have become civilised over the thousands of years . The uncivilised manner of the negro is seen as a motif for his submission , and is compared to a horse that must be trained or  will otherwise run wild .

Those that participate in a free society are seen to be: selfish .atheistic  ,materialistic  . Trades that the author thinks can be found in Benjamin  Franklin .

Glossary :

Abolitionists  is someone who wants to end a system or law

Atheism  is  the belief that God does not exist

Benjamin  Franklin born January 17 [January 6, Old Style], 1706, Boston, Massachusetts [U.S.]—died April 17, 1790, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.), American printer and publisher, author, inventor and scientist, and diplomat. 

Materialistic  that refers to person concerned only with money and possessions rather than things of the mind such as art, religion, or moral beliefs – used to show disapproval 

Demise the end of something that used to exist

Slave someone who is owned by another person and works for them for no moneythe slave trade (=the buying and selling of slaves, especially Africans who were taken to America)

Negro a word for a black person, usually considered offensive

Whites  belonging to the race of people with pale skin of European decent

Southern Slavery  is a term used to refer to the institution of slavery

Privilege a special advantage that is given only to one person or group of people

Incumbent someone who has been elected to an official position, especially in politics, and who is doing that job at the present time

Iron mining the industry of removing  metal from the  ground  by digging

Cheat  to behave in a dishonest way in order to win or to get an advantage, especially in a competition, game, or examination

The north

The south is a region of the United States of America. The South does not fully match the geographic south of the United States, but is commonly defined as including the states that fought for the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War.

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