The American South During Civil War

The American South, had a social system which was distinct in many ways. There was an economy relative to


  the region, where class structure and a system of racial differences which caused the South to become


  unique to the rest of the nation. Historians such as James Henretta have said that Capitalism was the


  cause of all evil within the American South. American Capitalism defined by Max Weber is “ a greed for


  gain”, and “acquisition by force, ... whether directly in war or in the form [of] exploitation of


  subjects”.   This type of lifestyle within a growing nation could not work with the gentry class which was


  moving into the region unless there was people to do the work on the farms for them. At first there were


  indentured servants, but this system of work only worked for a limited time as these servants would work


  their time of servitude and then leave on their own. The American farmer in the south needed more control


  on their workers and needed to know that they ( the worke!


  rs ) weren’t going to just leave and start up their own farm for themselves. Thus the manipulation of


  slave labor became the answer for capitalism, and from the use of black slave labor,   tension began to


  rise between the slaves brought from Africa, and the land holders of the South.


  Tension between Slaves and land owners have been strong in the South for many years, and one


  might say that the cause of it is the ways of which the Black slaves of plantations and farms were


  treated. The founders of the Carolina colonies were not only interested in the use of slaves in the


  solution of their labor problems of too much work not enough workers, but they had a very big material


  interest.   The use of slave labor, was a coerced, cash-crop system of labor from which slavery became an


  economic necessity because...