Antebellum Slavery: The Politics, Economics, and Dirty Little Tricks

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Slave States 1860

Slave States 1860

  The antebellum period in American history ranged from 1830-1860.  It was a period of wide spread slavery in the country.  President Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe were Virginia plantation owners who supported the use of slaves on their plantations.  The question of abolishing slavery continued to be a strong political issue for the South.  With the invention of the Cotton Gin, and the lucrative textile markets abroad, slave labor became an important part of the successful cotton economy.  Cotton was king!  It created wealth and prestige for the slave owners farming cotton.      All of the presidents leading up to Lincoln found ways to avoid ending slavery.  The most important question is how slavery and prejudice have interacted to create the set of social relationships steeped in our current, hierarchical society.