The south accused the North of hypocrisy when the north condemned slavery.?

-What is the basis for this accusation and how do Southern spokesmen justify slavery as a positive good?I cannot find any contemporary Southern statements that accuse the Northerners of hypocrisy, although there are plenty of modern apologists for the South who do. Some of the points made:



1) African Americans suffered from racism in the North as well as in the South

2) Some Union states allowed slavery

3) Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation freed only the slaves of the Confederacy, not of the North

4) The war wasn't about slavery at all (this allegation has been fully discredited on numerous occasions).

5) The U.S. Constitution allowed slavery



The following arguments were put forth in Southern books, pamphlets and newspapers to defend the institution of slavery:



Slavery was good for the slaves; the slaveowners took on the burden of caring for the interests of inferior beings, seeing that they would be fed, clothed and given religious instruction.

In a comparative sense, Southern slaves were better off than many of the immigrant workers in Northern factories who were confined in unhealthy workplaces for long hours.

Slavery was the key to national prosperity鈥攆or both the North and the South; nearly 60 percent of U.S. exports of this era were cotton; the slavery advocates argued that if their economy were tampered with, the great industrial cities of the North would crumble; many Southerners viewed the North as a parasite, nourishing itself on slavery while at the same time criticizing it.

Slavery was vital for the continuance of a superior Southern lifestyle which emphasized good manners and graciousness; they did not want to become like the fast-paced, money-grubbing North.



The Christian church's main justification of the concept of slavery is based on Genesis 9:25-27. According to the Bible, the worldwide flood had concluded and there were only 8 humans alive on earth: Noah, his wife, their six sons and daughters in law. Noah's son Ham had seen "the nakedness of his father." So, Noah laid a curse -- not on Ham, who was guilty of some type of indiscretion. The sin was transferred to Noah's grandson Canaan. Christians traditionally believed that Canaan had settled in Africa. The dark skin of Africans became associated with this "curse of Ham." Thus slavery of Africans became religiously justifiable.
Slavery was only good from the point of view of the plantation owners - free labor and no unions controlling hours of work.

Similar situation in World War 2. Jews forced to work for no pay, but the Nazi government charged the factory owners for the labor