The Profit of Slavery

        Despite common beliefs held my many historians today, striverry was, in fact, profitable. The merchandise shelter alone of hard workers suggests profitability. In 1815, a typical U.S. slave was worth $250; by 1839 the terms was $500; and by 1860 it had climbed to $900. Prices of slaves would non allow quadrupled if they were not a means of profit for the owner. The mediocre price of slaves quadrupled because the average entropyern crop production per slave quadrupled. Slaves increased in value because they produced more in saleable crops. Three alternative paths all lead to this same demonstration: slavery was profitable.         First, thousands of planters bought slaves on credit from tidy sumrs. Few planters would have borrowed to steal those slaves and collapse interest on them if they did not think they could exculpate at to the lowest degree as much money fly the coop them to work in the fields. The average interest rate charged by make dors between 1820 and 1860 was eight to decennary per centum. Since this rate did not vary much over the years and the slave trade business was booming, it is safe to assume that planters were repayting at least ten percent return on their enthronements.         Second, many slaves were hired let on by their owners. This usually happened when a planter had a unorthodox surplus of field hands.

The rent charged for these slaves were proportionable to their investment return that year. In 1850 to 1860, for example, farm laborers in the South Atlantic were pain $9.64 per month. West South Central slaves rented for $13.90. such(prenominal) slaves sold for close $1,070 and $1,400, respectively. Rente! d slaves in the South, then, earned about eleven to twelve percent of their value for their owners.         And Third, look at the plan of attack pioneered by Alfred Conrad and John Meyer. It compares rates of return from... If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: OrderEssay.net

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