Difference between revisions of "HIST 131--Week 11 Questions/Comments"

Hammond suggests that it is less expensive to have slaves than cheap labor.  I found this interesting, as I figured it would cost more to "house", feed, and dress the slaves than it would be to pay someone cheap wages.  Also, the "houses" that the slaves are living in are on fertile land that could be used for growing more cash crops.  As unfortunately there was no hint of a minimum wage back then, wouldn't it have been cheaper to minimally pay for labor?  Meat (however bad it may be) is a lot more expensive to feed slaves, especially in the large plantations, than to give them a little bit of money to feed themselves.  Also, as a "good slave" cost around $20,000 now (as mentioned in class), a plantation owner could minimally pay them for their working years and it would add up to be less than that amount. How did the money amount add up in their eyes? - Alex Zelin

Hammond suggests that it is less expensive to have slaves than cheap labor.  I found this interesting, as I figured it would cost more to "house", feed, and dress the slaves than it would be to pay someone cheap wages.  Also, the "houses" that the slaves are living in are on fertile land that could be used for growing more cash crops.  As unfortunately there was no hint of a minimum wage back then, wouldn't it have been cheaper to minimally pay for labor?  Meat (however bad it may be) is a lot more expensive to feed slaves, especially in the large plantations, than to give them a little bit of money to feed themselves.  Also, as a "good slave" cost around $20,000 now (as mentioned in class), a plantation owner could minimally pay them for their working years and it would add up to be less than that amount. How did the money amount add up in their eyes? - Alex Zelin

== Frederick Law Olmsted, 1861, Cotton Kingdom ==

== Frederick Law Olmsted, 1861, Cotton Kingdom ==