More than 400 years have passed since chattel slavery was deemed a respectable and integral part of the American economy and policy. Still, there are folks who try to rewrite history and “whitewash” the facts concerning one of the darkest times in U.S. history.
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Fitness trainer Jillian Michaels is the latest example of a white person misrepresenting the impact of slavery after claiming only two percent of white Americans had slaves… We’re here to tell you that is not true. Now, it’s time to break down all the common myths about slavery and give you the facts on the matter.
Myth: The South Did Not Secede Over Slavery
Many people believe the American Civil War had nothing to do with slavery. Around 48 percent of Americans believe the South seceded from the Union due to states’ rights. In fact, southerners feared with the recent election of Abraham Lincoln that the federal government would impose on individual states’ practice… But states’ rights to what exactly? Keep scrolling for the answer.
Fact: Slavery Was the Primary Cause of the War
In truth, the moral issue of slavery was just one of many reasons that the southern states chose to leave the Union. The other reasons, however, dealt with the political and economic impact of slavery. As the history books tell us, the South largely relied on sugar, tobacco and cotton production for wealth and used slave labor to meeting the ever-growing product demands. In short, the South needed slavery to survive economically, and didn’t like the idea of the Union telling them to get rid of such an effective– yet horrific– system. So, they left in 1860.
Myth: Only a Small Percentage of White Folks Owned Slaves
Fitness trainer Jillian Michaels has been getting dragged after her appearance on CNN’s “News Night with Abby Phillip” took a turn. While justifying President Donald Trump’s move to review Smithsonian Museum exhibits that talk too much about slavery, Michaels added a fact about the chattel slavery without any real context. “Only less than 2 percent of white Americans own slaves,” she said. In the next slide, you’ll understand the full context of that statement.
Fact: The Real Implications of Slavery on White America
Yes, data from the 1860 census reported that around 1.6 percent of Americans were slave owners, but there’s a lot more to the story here. Firstly, the 1860 census numbers are slightly off, USA Today reported, but this statistic also doesn’t take into consideration 18 percent of the population that were enslaved. At this point in history, slavery was made illegal in most states, but in the South, where chattel slavery was far more widespread, the percentage of white Americans with slaves is much higher– 32 percent in some Confederate states.
Myth: The Union Went to War to End Slavery
President Abraham Lincoln is known as the Great Emancipator for having ended slavery in the South in 1863. Because of this, it’s easy for folks to associate Lincoln and the North as the good guys who purely fought against slavery. That’s not the full story, however…
Fact: The Real Motivations of Abraham Lincoln
While slavery was the South’s key reason for leaving the Union, the northern states did not have exactly the same motivations. By the time the Confederacy formed in 1860, slavery in many northern states were already out of practice. The Union, under President Abraham Lincoln’s leadership, went to war to preserve the United States. In 1862, Lincoln famously said, “If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that.” The truth is although Lincoln was against slavery, he only used the abolishment of slavery as a power move to cripple the southern economy.
Myth: Slavery in the North Ended Before the Civil War
Another misconception is that slavery did not exist in any northern state by the time the Civil War began. It’s easy to believe that Union states had completely progressed past slavery because of their position in the Civil War– against the Confederate succession– and this is completely not true. Just keep scrolling for more information.
Fact: An Active Timeline of the End of Slavery
In 1777, Vermont became the first state to outlaw slavery with Massachusetts following in 1783. Soon after, several union states introduced a gradual abolition, requiring slavery to slowly be outlawed. Most states freed all of the enslaved by 1850, but one state, New Hampshire, held on to slavery until 1865, with the 13th Amendment.
Myth: The Founding Fathers Were Mostly Anti-Slavery
Folks like President Thomas Jefferson and George Washington often get credit for being morally against slavery. Like many other founding fathers, Washington and Jefferson owned hundreds slaves… but that’s not all.
Fact: Founding Fathers Split on Slavery
“All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” is the beginning of the Declaration of Independence, but while political thinkers were proclaiming their freedom from Great Britain, slavery was still an active part in the 13 colonies. After the Revolutionary War, the country’s leaders were stuck on the issue of slavery. Morally, many like Jefferson were opposed to slavery. But politically, getting rid of slavery would’ve resulted in more conflicts than not– especially with southern representatives. In the end, slavery was not addressed in the original Constitution. Washington didn’t free his slaves until after his death in 1799, according to Mountvernon.org.
Myth: Enslaved People Were Largely Treated Well
History books tell a tamed version of American slavery. If you ask the right– or wrong– person, they’ll argue that in many cases, enslaved people were actually well off as they had access to water, food and clothing. But what many forget is slavery also entailed grueling labor, forced punishment and the ripping apart Black families. And that’s just the beginning…
Fact: The Horrors of American Slavery
Black slaves were treated as property, not human. Because of this, it was easy for slave owners to justify the gross and inhumane conditions their slaves lived in and experienced. Black men, women and children were beaten, starved, imprisoned, raped and degraded all in the name of slavery. Because of the lack of slave records, it’s impossible to know all of the horrors millions of enslaved people endured.
Myth: Black Soldiers Mostly Fought for the Confederacy
Those arguing on the side of the Confederacy like to argue that Black men and women signed up to fight alongside the South in the Civil War. While it is true that some Black soldiers fought in favor of the Confederacy, there’s a lot more to the story.
Fact: Black Soldiers Banned from Confederate Army
Until March 1865, the Confederate Army prohibited Black people from serving as soldiers…. then they started losing to the Union. After being severely out manned, Confederate-led coalitions forced enslaved people to fight for them. , In truth, many more Black soldiers fought for their freedom with the Union, according to the American Civil War Museum.
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