I came across this conference through a class with school. Thought I would share it with you all since it is a pretty good take on slavery in the early American republic. Ayers takes into consideration how growing evangelicalism in the First Great Awakening originally made people question slavery before it became an accepted way of life. Then, the South experienced a technological revival that encouraged slavery. Railroads grew, the cotton gin and cotton press helped produce more cotton, and the steamboat could carry the bales up north to textile mills. If you believe slavery was a Southern problem in the nineteenth century . . . don't. The North encouraged the institution by its own industrial system.
You will need to create an account to listen at the Gilder Lehrman Institute website. It is free, so don't worry.
You will need to create an account to listen at the Gilder Lehrman Institute website. It is free, so don't worry.
Edward Ayers:
If you want to listen more, here is a conference from Ira Berlin, a historian who has argued that there is no such thing as studying nineteenth century slavery and getting a full view of the institution. There is more to the story, and it developed through the ages.
Ira Berlin:
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