"A Black History Month Moment..."

Records of slave trading in New York City. Credit New York Historical Society

The Wealth that Slavery Built

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