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Difficulty: MediumSouthern Economy, Society, and the Defense of Slavery

Source: James Henry Hammond, letter to Thomas Clarkson, 1845.

"I go further, and maintain that, as [slavery] exists with us, it is a society containing the fewest elements of conflict, and the most of stability and order, of any that the world has ever seen... We are not only undisturbed by those threats of social revolution which are beginning to make the foundations of European and Northern society totter, but we are absolutely exempt from those minor domestic agitations which are so constantly occurring there."

Which of the following historical developments during the first half of the nineteenth century best explains the "domestic agitations" in Northern society referenced by Hammond in the excerpt?

  1. The growth of an industrial working class and subsequent labor tensions resulting from the Market RevolutionAnswer
  2. B
    The replacement of Northern industrial wage laborers with indentured servants bound by long-term labor contracts
  3. C
    The emergence of Southern industrial factories that outcompeted Northern textile mills
  4. D
    The economic isolation of Northern urban areas from Western agricultural markets

Answer

The growth of an industrial working class and subsequent labor tensions resulting from the Market Revolution
The correct answer is correct because the Market Revolution in the first half of the nineteenth century led to the growth of factory cities and a distinct wage-earning working class in the North. This economic shift created new social classes and labor tensions, including strikes and early union organizing, which Southern defenders of slavery like Hammond pointed to as signs of social instability in free-labor societies.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus to identify Hammond's main argument.
Hammond argues that Southern society is stable and orderly because of slavery, whereas Northern and European societies are experiencing 'domestic agitations' and threats of 'social revolution.'
Understanding the contrast Hammond draws between the Southern slave system and the Northern free-labor system is necessary to answer the question.
2
Relate Hammond's reference to Northern 'domestic agitations' to actual historical events in the North between 1800 and 1848.
During this period, the Market Revolution led to industrialization, the rise of the factory system, and the creation of a class of wage laborers in the North, leading to labor organizing and class conflict.
This identifies the real-world cause of the social instability Hammond critiques.
3
Evaluate the answer choices to find the development that aligns with the rise of Northern social and labor tensions.
The option referencing the growth of an industrial working class and labor tensions from the Market Revolution matches this context, while the other options contain historical inaccuracies regarding labor systems and Southern industrialization.
This confirms the correct option based on historical evidence.

Key Concept

The contrast between the Southern cotton-based slave economy and Northern industrialization, along with the defense of slavery as a stabilizing social force compared to Northern labor tensions.
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Southern Economy, Society, and the Defense of Slavery

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