American History

In a historic perspective, the capitalism in America has progressed primarily as a means of a socio-economic need while fulfilling the capitalist class, but was throughout bound and fuelled with indentured slavery and labor.

Capitalism, having been more significantly developed in the Europe, was characterized by a few key elements as an underlying system in the 19th century America. What these predominantly signify is the private ownership of production and means of production, along with the supplement of labor. The basis for this notion, in fact, existed in the beginning days of capitalistic economy  in the 12th century. Back then, it was more towards the merchandise of movable goods, trading and sales of property. Though the term capitalism itself was more commonly used in abstract history of the 17th century, especially with the rise of merchant capitalism, its usage as an economic system evolved gradually on par with the industrial revolution. Though the exact origins of the concepts of capitalism are vague, since the middle ages, it provided the main means of industrialization. Despite the fact that capitalism for more centered on trade for profit, still some production were made with non-capitalist methods However, the extents to which these trades are done were largely dependant on the governing policies and politics.

Along with the evolution of the norm, predominantly, the American economy became capitalist by the latter part of the 19th century. This passage of history can be broken down to three phases. The first part of this, from 1600 to 1790, was mainly handicraft production, along with the production related with tobacco industry. During 1790  1865, several industries were booming though, however, agriculture as a key character in the economy was suffering with a setback. Nevertheless, the economy as a mix of elements contributing to its growth was flourishing. The emergence of a working class is observed during this period. However, in the last phase after 1865, development in agriculture took a high pace along with the thriving economy. Most of the labor requirement for the commercial sectors was staffed by slavery. The high need of work force and the candidness for the slavery in the American society back in the 17th century paved the way to a fundamental transformation. In fact, it can be argued that the capitalist market did lay the foreground for slavery in America.

Until about 1865, slavery was legally allowed within the American boundaries. The slaves that were brought to America, as a primary means of cheap labor to cater to the needs of booming economy, especially in the agricultural sector, were mainly African blacks. Most of these slaves were indebted in their own lands for generations, while some were brought in by force against their will or consent. It was speculated that more than 12 million slaves were shipped during the period of 16th to the latter part of 18th century. Most of them were brought to the now United States. Before the outright slavery was legally accepted in the capitalism, one of the most primary systems by which the laborers were bound by was the indentured servitude. With this system, the laborers was legally contracted under an employer in the capitalist economy, and unlike slavery, they were only required to work for a limited amount of time in exchange for their primary necessities including food and lodging. However, with indentured slavery, the laborers became the sole property of their owners and mostly they were deprived of even the basic rights to earn or freedom for voluntary movement. They were held against their will and were literally considered as personal movable property. Alexander Davidson states in his historical notes on Illinois, the Illinois legislation stipulated the owner of the negroes above 15 years of age under owing service are to be brought before a clerk within 30 days and have an indenture record specifying the time during which the slave is to serve. This was stated in the act Indentured and Registered Slaves bearing a date of year 1807. These agreements gave the colonialists ample chances to reap profits, as they were legally entitled for obtainment of cheap labor. The slaves were even stripped off from their basic rights, which they enjoyed before they were brought into America. Even in the early days of capitalism, the mentality and the brutal treatments were noted in the historical documents such as William Byrds diary, where he mentions in his own word how he treated the slaves as his own property and played cruel games on his servants. Whipping and branding on the skin was a common punishment for the slaves under the capitalist society. Slaves who were guilty of crimes were charged in non-jury courts and many judicial cases have been found throughout in the history, including slave owners claiming for the fugitive slaves and criminal offenses.

In terms of the industries where the slavery was employed in capitalist America, the legalization of African slavery in Virginia and Maryland was more noteworthy. Allan Kulikoff mentions in his historical note that following the huge demand for tobacco, planters invested money not only on the crop and plantation, but also for buying out more African slaves. Though the number of African slaves were relatively low at the beginning, the success of tobacco especially with cheap labor made the slavery quite essential to the economy of Virginia. This demand for African slaves kept on rising with the development of the plantation agriculture.  American sugar industry, along with tobacco, was booming as an agricultural industry. By the mid 18th century, however, the consumption of sugar in Britain had literally doubled. By this time, Louisiana had harbored itself as a major contributor to the countrys economy with its successful sugar plantations. Many slaves from Africa and West Indies were labored in these territories and agriculture sectors.

The physical strength and power of immunity against potentially dangerous diseases like malaria led the slaves to be harbored in other industries including mining. In the mid 19th century, the coal producing territories of Alabama and Tennessee were largely employing African slaves. Since slaves were not entitled to object for the work they do or have control over their working duration, they were labored in many other industries including building railroads, weaving and carpentry. With fewer concerns over their health and hygienic conditions, Africans were sought after as the ultimate solution to the acute labor requirements in the capitalist economy.

As much as the capitalism was formed to reap the maximum out of slavery, especially at the end of 18th century, several activists and voices were raised for the slaves, so they could feel more human with their rights-at least some of what Native Americans enjoyed. Historical journal articles indicate the voices raised by Maryland Abolition Society in 1790 to establish basic rights for the slaves in America. Most of these activists failed to achieve the best what the hoped for the slaves however, it made a wave across the society that led to relieving some of the restrictions imposed on the slaves, such as buying one selfs freedom. There were many lawsuits and judiciary acts for the freedom of slaves. Some were proceeded even for the rights of the fugitive slaves-something which was rare in the early days of colonization. The strengths that emerged within the slave community helped them ultimately to win their war on civil rights in the latter part of the 19th century. As much as the capitalism had made a mark on the American history, the legacy of the slaves had its impact on America in every facet of the economy and culture.