However, they were not
sure from which source to purchase these slaves. They hesitated
to bring new slaves directly from Africa. They were also loath to
bring seasoned slaves from the Caribbean. Events in Haiti had
demonstrated that these Caribbean slaves might not be as docile
as previously had been believed. Certainly, Americans did not
want repetition of the bloody Haitian revolt within their own
borders. Greedy men still bought slaves where they could, but
many American slave owners were deeply disturbed and began to
give serious thought to terminating the importation of African
slaves to America.
***
CHAPTER 3
Slavery as Capitalism
The Shape of American Slavery
The slave system in America was unique in human history.
Sometimes slaves were treated cruelly; at other times with
kindness. They were more often used as a sign of affluence, a way
of displaying one's wealth and of enjoying luxury, rather than as
the means for the systematic accumulation of wealth. Previously,
slavery had existed in hierarchical societies in which the slave
was at the bottom of a social ladder, the most inferior in a
society of unequals.
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