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<title> "The argument has commenced... Slavery will every where be abolished, or every where be re-instituted." </title>
Slavery has been a debated area since it first begun and the opinions have varied a lot between people. In America the issue whether to keep slaves or not, has to a large extent been divided between the North and the South. 
The South with its agricultural society had a more friendly and positive attitude towards slavery than the North. They wanted to use black slaves at their plantations, as slaves were cheap labour. The North lacked a fertile soil and instead of agriculture developed industries and they were more in favour of abolishing slavery. Slaves have had a hard time and suffered a lot during the centuries. It took a long time of struggle before they finally could be regarded free. 

With material from the mid-nineteenth century I am going to bring up the arguments being used for and against slavery at this particular period. The texts contain much more arguments for slavery than against, which make my essay seem partial. Although the arguments against slavery are few they act as a counterbalance to the ones for slavery, as they are very strong in humane point of view.

One of the arguments for slavery occurs in the text Sociology for the South where Fitzhugh says that government control over humans has been present in all times. A democracy or the law can govern intellectual and moral people, while less intellectual people need to have more limitations and control. Law cannot govern children, as they don't understand it. Parents, who will have the function of law with their commands and wills, must therefore control them. "Now, it is clear the Athenian democracy would not suit a negro nation, nor will the government of mere law suffice for the individual negro. He is but a grown up child, and must be governed as a child, not as a lunatic or criminal. The master occupies towards him the place of parent or guardian." (Fitzhugh, 310).
It was stated that a black person was as intellectually and morally inferior to other grown up people, like a child in his mind, that he obviously needed to have a superior master to obey and follow.

Another argument by Fitzhugh, is the improvident nature of the blacks. As they don't plan their lives and save food for future needs, they will be a burden to society. With the right to try avoiding this, society must do what it can and the solution is to use the black as slaves. 

Fitzhugh also says that the blacks are inferior to the whites. They can't make their own living or earn money as white people do, but will face a certain death in America. The only way to save them from that destiny is to make them slaves. Slavery in America is like charity and relief to the black, where in Africa they would be due to a worse slavery, cannibalism or other crimes. Slavery is good to a black as "it christianizes, protects, supports and civilizes him; that it governs him far better than free laborers at the North are governed" (Fitzhugh).

In the poem The Hireling and the Slave by William J Grayson, the idea that being a slave is not worse than being an employee is shown. All people should work, both free ones and slaves and the things required for both groups of people are the same - food, fire, clothes and a home. Slaves have a pretty comfortable life and need not to worry about necessary things required, as they are protected and guarded by their masters. The hirelings or employees have a worse situation as they are on their own with nobody that takes care of them.

After having brought up some of the arguments for slavery in the mid-nineteenth century I move on to arguments against slavery. In the text, Preface to The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass written by William Garrison, the cruelties of slavery are shown. Slavery is described as "that crime of crimes, -making man the property of his fellow man! O, how accursed is that system, which entombs the godlike mind of man, defaces the divine image, reduces those who by creation were crowned with glory and honor to a level with four-footed beasts" (Garrison, 307). 
It's difficult to understand how slavery still exists as it is only pure evil -it shows a lack of fear of God and respect for humans. Slavery has an inevitable tendency to destroy all good abilities of man, both white and black people. An example is given of the bad influence of slavery, where the remains of the person are different from those before the time as a slave. It was an American sailor who ended up in Africa and there became slave for some years. After those years he had lost his reason and forgotten his native language. Man can't be kept as slave, without destroying his personality.

Another strong argument against slavery that we come in contact with in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, written by the same Douglass, is about the cruelties being used on slaves. Some of, which are so horrible, it is difficult to understand that they actually have happened. He writes about his aunt who has disobeyed her master and then was punished for it. The master took off her clothes, which covered her back, tied her hands to a hook and then began to whip her until she was completely covered with blood. "The louder she screamed, the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped longest. He would whip her to make her scream, and whip her to make her hush" (Douglass, 5).

Slavery could be seen from many points of view in the mid-nineteenth century, with some people in favour of its continuation while other people wanted to see it abolished. White supremacy, the blacks improvident nature and the fact that black humans are like children, who need to have a master to obey, were some of the arguments for slavery at the time. They stood against arguments such as the inhuman and unethically about keeping another human as one's property and the horrible way in which slaves were treated.
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