Why did Souther attitudes to slavery and race harden

As I understand it most establishment whites felt that they were racially superior to black people.

They viewed slavery as an embarassing necessity.

Hence Northern states gradually decided they did not need slavery

In the South things moved in the opposite direction. People justified slavery as a 'positive good'

Was this the result of fear following Nat Turner's rebellion?

Or was it more that with the huge economic advantage of the King Cotton plantation with the cotton gin, and the market in Englad for cotton?

Were there other factors?

Could anytthing have happened which would at least have allowed open debate in the South on this issue?
 
As I understand it most establishment whites felt that they were racially superior to black people.

They viewed slavery as an embarassing necessity.

Hence Northern states gradually decided they did not need slavery

In the South things moved in the opposite direction. People justified slavery as a 'positive good'

Was this the result of fear following Nat Turner's rebellion?

Or was it more that with the huge economic advantage of the King Cotton plantation with the cotton gin, and the market in Englad for cotton?

Were there other factors?

Could anytthing have happened which would at least have allowed open debate in the South on this issue?

I think it may have had something to do with Turner's rebellion, but there's likely other factors involved, including the simple fear of the 'other'.....like how anti-Mexican sentiment contributed greatly to cannabis's demise as a legal drug or how Pearl Harbor convinced many people to start looking twice at Japanese-Americans, etc.

TBH, though, it's important to remember that the majority of the Southern Founders did prefer the institution to end one day, even if only gradually so. So maybe someone like Henry Clay could perhaps become a voice of reason, or something.
 

JSmith

Banned
I really think that the most basic and most widespread reason was because they knew that there was a large number of people in the North thought what they were doing was wrong and looked down on them for doing it- so they doubled down.
 
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