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<title> Free slave or slave disguised as a white man? </title>
In the mid- nineteenth century slaving was still accepted. During a time when coloured people weren't given any legal rights what so ever, many humans tried to formulate reasons as to why slavery must end. Arguments for and against this issue were found and disputed. A former slave, named Frederick Douglass, felt he had a lot to say about the inhuman conditions slaves were exposed to. Meanwhile another man named, named George Fitzhugh, wanted to point out to people how right it actually was to use coloured people as slaves. Others have also had their say throughout time and together these people give us arguments both for and against slavery in the mid-nineteenth century.

According to Douglass many children who were born slaves were taken away from their mothers as young babies. Out of this came unaffectionate little ones who didn't really have any sense of belonging to someone who loved them. One thing about slavery was that it didn't exactly bring coloured family-members closer together, instead it just tore them apart. Douglass thought that this way of handling served no other purpose than to "hinder the development of the child's affection towards its mother, and to blunt and destroy the natural affection of the mother for the child." (p.2)

Douglass also claimed that slavery should seas to exist for another reason. He opposed himself to the saying that "God cursed Ham, and therefore American slavery is right." (p.4) This was because of the fact that if only people who were Ham were supposed to be slaves, then slavery would soon have to be forbidden by law. Douglass came to this conclusion as he noticed how many there were that didn't have coloured fathers and so were no longer true Ham. 

Further more Douglass argued that the horrible working-conditions surrounding the slaves were in fact inhuman. There were slaves who were being beaten and whipped by their masters until they were covered in blood. Douglass tells us about "the bloody scenes that often occurred on the plantation". (p.7) These stories about humans being abused and treated badly were enough to make W.M. Lloyd Garrison wonder "Is it possible for the human mind to conceive of a more horrible state of society?" (p.308)
 
A man who didn't see how slavery could possibly pester the American society was George Fitzhugh. He was convinced that all slaves were actually similar to children. This meant that they had to be looked after and be provided with necessities that they themselves didn't know how to find. That's why a master was so perfect for this job. William J. Grayson supported Fitzhugh's opinions, in his poem "The Hireling and the Slave" where it's stated that a slave is "Taught by the master's efforts by his care, Fed clothed, protected many a patient year". (p.16) 

Another argument that was being used to justify slavery was that all black men were actually wild an, as Fitzhugh put it "must be caught, tamed and domesticated." (p.312) He pointed out that for years and years in history, the black people had been given several chances to become more suitable and able to fit in as a part of modern society. Because of the fact that this yet hadn't happen, Fitzhugh claimed that there was nothing else society could do, than to turn the black men into slaves.

Aside from this there were also this issue concerning how it would be possible for a slave to manage on his own. It was being argued that slaves were, who were to become free men, wouldn't make it on their in the "real world". This was not only because of the fact that this kind of people didn't know anything about how to provide clothes and food for themselves, but also due to the opinion that wherever a former slave would go, he would be greeted with the same ignorance and be totally alone, or worse, dead. Fitzhugh stated that a slave were better off working for a master, than alone in big world so full of mean people. (p.312)

Added to these arguments were also the question about whether or not a slave really was like a prisoner. Both Fitzhugh and Grayson believed that this wasn't the case. In fact, being a slave had to be much less complicated than it was to be a free, hardworking human, with bills to pay and a family to support. These two stated that nobody was in fact as free as the slave, who only had himself to worry about.

Furthermore did Fitzhugh want to stress the fact that from the moment when everybody decided to work for his or her own living, all people in this world were slaves "and such all good men continue to be". (p.311) Therefore there was nothing wrong with slavery at all. 
Slavery was actually a very good way of keeping the black men from killing their non-existing wives. If the black men were no longer slaves, they would be able to marry but then also a lot more women would get murdered. This was according to Fitzhugh namely what happened in the north part of America, where black men were free humans.

Many were those who had strong opinions about this issue concerning slave trade. A lot of people were against it, while others worked hard to maintain this system. Both sides had very strong arguments to support their stand. One side argued that slavery made family- life for black people impossible, saw no logic in why those who were offspring to white men should be forced to work as slaves, nor knew the reason as to why coloured people should be treated differently from white people. The other side was of the opinion that a slave was protected by his master and far better off working as a slave, than earning his living as a free man.
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