Antebellum Period in America

Antebellum Period in America

Essay on Whaling

I am writing about David Milkman. He was an African slave born in 1770. His birthplace was Kenya, a town called Kakamega. Milkman was from a low-income family; the status of their family made them owe many debts to the chief of the area. Milkman was sold to slavery so that his family would be freed from their debt. Slaves were being bought and shipped to America, where they would work in large cotton plantations (Seller,1982).

The ships were filled with slaves as during the Antebellum period; slaves were in high demand. The essence of growth in the slave trade was propagated by the increase in large scale cotton plantations. The slaves were perceived as cheap labor, as they would not require any remuneration (Schlachter et al.,1975). Another factor was the strength of the African slaves who were very masculine.

Milkman was shipped with many other slaves as they set on their journey into slavery. The journey towards the west took many months as the means of transport were sailing ships, which depended mainly on the wind to propagate forward. Many slaves died on the way as the conditions on the boat were very poor. Slaves were responsible for rowing the ship. They received a minimal supply of food and were forced to Rowe the oars day and night.

Milkman managed to survive the journey to the west, through the Pacific Ocean. The ship docked in the city of California after six months in the water. He was then sold to a small farmer in the town of Oregon. During the antebellum period, the demand for slaves was growing every day (Guzda,1984). Wealth in America during the 17^th century was measured by the number of slaves one owned. Wealthy men in America needed more slaves for their substantial plantations labor.

Milkman worked for a month on his master’s farm for a few months before being sold for a lot of money to a wealthy master. Slaves would be sold and given nothing in return for their labor. The slaves worked for long hours in the plantations and rested only for a few hours before going to work again. In terms of food, they only had one meal a day; they were always chained except when on the farm where they were closely monitored.

During the journey from the African continent, they docked on the island of Nantucket in Massachusetts. In this town, there was a whaling business that was going on. The residents of this town hunted whales to get oil to supply their markets in Britain industries (Seller,1982). They later began hunting sperm whales to get the superior oil from its fat. The oil from sperm whales was perceived to provide a brighter light.

Nantucket’s were very successful in the whaling industry and didn’t have to depend on natural resources. They had increased their ships and traded widely with the Europeans. The location of the island provided an excellent view of the locals. They would watch the whales being poached by their men. Nantucket was at that time called the Capital of the world. The island was more concerned with the whaling business and stopped agricultural practices. The boats used to hunt this whale were made of cedar and were powered through rowing (Logue,1983). The whaling trade was significantly affected by the civil war that took place in 1812.

America during Blackman’s time was facing numerous political developments as the president at the time Andrew Jackson became famous and was respected for introducing democracy in the country. The majority rule was initially hindered from implementation because the founders of America launched the electoral college. The college was used as a way to ensure America remained a republic and not a Democracy (Guzda,1984).

The new earned democracy saw the abolishment of the slave trade, voting rights based on property ownership was also done away with. American men were now allowed to vote for their leaders. Women were oppressed during that century. This prompted women to hold a woman rights convention summit. The summit saw more than 100 women led by Elizabeth Stanton. The convention saw many things change in terms of women’s oppression women faced (Schlachter et al.,1975).

The results of this convention were tremendous despite the challenges faced by the women in the country. During the Antebellum society, the increase in urbanization saw the work patterns change. Most men moved to towns in search of money and left the women at home. This movement saw the roles of women to be realized as they were now able to see their status in society (Schlachter et al.,1975). The summit saw women empowered. Empowerment led to a rise in feminism activists in a bid to improve the role of women in society.

The economy in the United States during the Antebellum period saw a lot of economic development. In South America, cotton plantations had proved beneficial. The new inventions of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney saw the demand for the cotton rise. Many more designs proceeded to unfold as the sewing machine, too was developed. Demand increased in the market for cotton; this meant that the plantation needed more labor force for their large farms (Seller,1982).

The slave trade had been banned. This saw an increase in demand for slaves, and the only way forward was for the wealthy to purchase the slaves from the smaller farmers (Vickers,1983). The small farmers made more profits by selling the slaves. The wealthy American men moved to new areas in a bid to expand their territories. They moved because the overproduction had destroyed the soil leach.

In the end, after the slave trade was banned, Milkman and many other slaves were set from the captivity. The new democracy changed a lot of regulations and allowed the slaves to settle in the United States as free men and acquire citizenship. Milkman died after the Civil war that took place between the Americans and the British.

The motivation Milkman had for pushing hard in the slavery period was the hope that someday he would be a free man. She dreamt of how he would be able to go back to Africa and reunite with his family; He didn’t lose hope during the days in captivity even though the conditions were unbearable. He didn’t accomplish his dreams. Milkman died a bitter man as all his life had been wasted in slavery. He had, however, married and had sired a child with a black slave girl whom he met during his freedom days.

Conclusion

The antebellum period saw a lot of changes in America, economically, agriculturally, politically, and socially. Women were able to step up to improve their social status in society. The men moved to towns in search of jobs. Voting rights were accorded to all American men, also to note the new president Jackson brought about democracy in the country. There was increased demand for cotton, which led to the improvement of the economy. The Civil War of 1812 slowed down the development of America.

References

Guzda, H. P. (1984). Industrial democracy: made in the USA. Monthly Lab. Rev., 107, 26.

Logue, B. J. (1983). The Whaling Industry and Fertility Decline: Nantucket, Massachusetts

1660-1850. Social science history, 7(4), 427-456.

Schlachter, G., & Belli, D. (1975). Blacks in an Urban Environment; A Selected Annotated

Bibliography of Reference Sources.

Seller, M. S. (1982). Historical perspectives on American Immigration Policy: case studies and

current implications. Law & Contemp. Probs., 45, 137.

Vickers, D. (1983). The first whalemen of Nantucket. The William and Mary Quarterly: A

           Magazine of Early American History and, 560-583.