Slavery And The United States - 1507 Words

Over the centuries, slavery held a prominent factor in United States history. Slavery shaped and formed what society was in the United States. Slavery’s influence impacted the United States in various ways. The ways that slavery impacted United States history are the United States economy, society and politics. Some historians argue slavery is not an important factor in United States history. However, they are wrong because slavery brought many different political movements and the Underground Railroad marked it’s importance in United States history. Slavery had an economic impact in the United States. In 1794, an inventor named Eli Whitney created the cotton gin. The cotton gin revolutionized the South’s economy. Upon the creation of the†¦show more content†¦Instead of big cities and industrialization in the North, the South had large plantations and fields. Slavery was important to the South’s economy because they have a long growing season and a warm climate for farming. When the region has a great climate for farming, why would the South change their economy? Slavery greatly influenced the United States economy by dramatically increasing the production of crops such as cotton and provided large amounts of labor to upkeep with production of the crops. Slavery had a social impact in United States history. During the colonial era and antebellum era in the United States, slaves were not treated with respect. In the documentary â€Å"Slavery And The Making Of America†, there were ways and methods of who slaves were treated. For instance, when slaves ran away for the first time, they get whipped. For the second time, the runaway gets an â€Å"R† branded on his right cheek. The third time, the slave has their ear severed and another â€Å"R† is branded on the left cheek, and for the fourth time if the slave is a male, he gets castrated. When white men did the same crimes, they served short terms in jail or lesser punishments for crimes. African Americans were judged very harshly during this point in United States history. White Americans believe they had superiority over the African American slaves because of their skin color. Edward Bull, author of â€Å"Slaves in the Family†, spoke in the documentaryâ€Å" Slavery And