Slavery???

Question

What would the world be like if the 13th amendment hadn't been passed? Try to encumpass all aspects of society. How would the U.S. be doing economically now, socially, politically? How would a slavery society be different from today's society? What would be missing from both, what could be gained(pros and cons.) Try to see it from the point of view people back in age of slavery, before abolitionists. Imagine too, how slaves would be treated today in modern times. Please, nobody bite my head off, would the life of a modern day slave be better than some lives of the homeless(especially taking into account Katrina victims.) Again, just to reitterate, i'm not a racist. I'm writing a speech and am looking for opinions. Please, no stupid remarks, and definitely no racist ones. Please try to keep this a civilized think tank. Thanks! :-)

Answer 1

The rich would be richer and the poor would be poorer. Who do you think makes up the ruling class of America today? They are all descendants of slave owners. Who do you think makes up the working class of America today? Most of them are descendants of slaves, or indentured servants, or whatever made up the lower class 200 years ago.

Answer 2

Slavery would not have lasted much longer because of economics. Slavery is only practical in an economy that can use low cost skill-less labor cheaper than both the cost of the labor and cheaper than a machine can do it. With the advent of technology, machines make slavery not cost effective, and as the Nazis found out, technology provides the opportunity for slave labor to sabotage the equipment and the product produced... more ways slave labor is not cost effective. The invention of the cotton-gin was the beginning of the end of legal slavery in the United States... while slavery in Sudan and forced sexual slavery around the world are both still permitted by the U.N. and the member countries of the U.N.

I have to wonder why people are not upset at the slavery that still exists around the world.

Answer 3

To be honest, even without the Civil War and the 13th amendment, I don't think slavery would have lasted much longer than it did. The South was getting a lot of pressure from the European countries they were selling their cotton to about the use of slave labor. I think a boycott of Southern cotton was inevitable, which would have crippled the South economically to the point it would have had no choice but to end slavery. Most other parts of the issue, civil rights and all that, I think would have progressed about the same way they did, just maybe delayed a bit.

Answer 4

What you are asking is that "Proverbial Slippery Slope".....
There are a few things you must remember ~ That for some reason people tend to OVER LOOK!!!
And that is ~ You CAN NOT attach the Morals & Values of Todays Society in 2007 and attach them to the Society 1600's.
Only 3% of the Population Owned Slaves ~ That is a FACT!!!
Basically only about 10-15% of what is NOW the United States was settled, for the most part it was vast open & uncharted land & unsettled land.....
The other VERY...VERY...VERY....IMPORTANT thing that was starting to gain momentem ~ The Mechanical Era/Industrial Era....
Shortly after the War Between the States ~ And what was its first major invention????
Give up???
THE COTTON GIN!!!!

Now please don't get me wrong ~ I truly beleive that slavery is a very BIG BLACK EYE on our History.

Now something else for you to ponder.....

For as young as the United States is compatred to England or France.....I do beleive OUR GOOD MARKS far out weigh OUR BAD ones.

Answer 5

There are more "slaves" now than at any time in our history ... estimated at around 27 million people, many of these are kept as bonded workers doing menial repetitive tasks for a pittance.
Sexual slavery is on the increase and not just in the " third world ".
So things haven't really changed !!!

Answer 6

I think that it would be a more republican society. I think that crime would not be as high as it is. I think that the slaves would be treated better today than that of yesteryear. They would have a little x-tra freedom today than they did, but still "on a leash." they would have better quarters, and better clothes.
I am not a racist either. But to have a show insight on the "what ifs" can be educational.
There are many things that can be same/different between the years.

Answer 7

Your term" the age of slavery" is interesting. You see we still have slaves in the USA. I am asking you to look into this on your own see what you discover.I'll give you a tip illegal aliens.

Answer 8

What would the US be like? The rest of the world can get along fine without you. The US is not the centre of the universe!

Answer 9

It would be a depressing society. I am sure the economy would not have been as good as it is now. The uindustrial revelution is responsible to our present economy in part. But would you like to be forced to work for free and treated less than human. No one would.