Salt, Slavery, and Capitalism: The Historical Implications of the Antebellum Kanawha Salines
Faculty Mentor
Daryl Carter
Mentor Home Department
History
Short Abstract
Historians have long debated the connection between slavery and the development of modern industrial capitalism. The traditional answer was that Southern slavery represented a pre-capitalist mode of production that was incompatible with modern industrial society and destroyed by the superior productive forces of the North. Despite this, the Kanawha Salines stands out as a heavily industrialized, commercially modern industry in the Antebellum South. How did Kanawha fit into the slavery-based economy of the Antebellum South, and what does that reflect on the institution of American capitalism and historical arguments about it? The evidence proves that Southern slavery was not incompatible with industrial capitalism but rather buttressed its development in the Mountain South, with implications for the entire country. This evidence has been drawn from primary sources from relevant newspapers at the time, as well as correspondence and records from one of the most significant manufacturing firms in Kanawha. A comprehensive survey of the available academic literature on the subject and work done under the theory of the New History of Capitalism support and expand upon these sources to show the importance and impact of this unique part of American history. This author draws evidence showing the commercial, industrial, and corporate developments and impact of Kanawha’s industry and illustrates the system's absolute reliance on a developing and growing system of leased slave labor. Together, these variables show the inseparable nature of American industrial development and slavery, with important implications for our historical understanding of the Antebellum world and American history.
Category
Art and Humanities
Start Date
5-4-2024 11:30 AM
End Date
5-4-2024 12:30 PM
Location
D.P. Culp Center Room 210
Salt, Slavery, and Capitalism: The Historical Implications of the Antebellum Kanawha Salines
D.P. Culp Center Room 210
Historians have long debated the connection between slavery and the development of modern industrial capitalism. The traditional answer was that Southern slavery represented a pre-capitalist mode of production that was incompatible with modern industrial society and destroyed by the superior productive forces of the North. Despite this, the Kanawha Salines stands out as a heavily industrialized, commercially modern industry in the Antebellum South. How did Kanawha fit into the slavery-based economy of the Antebellum South, and what does that reflect on the institution of American capitalism and historical arguments about it? The evidence proves that Southern slavery was not incompatible with industrial capitalism but rather buttressed its development in the Mountain South, with implications for the entire country. This evidence has been drawn from primary sources from relevant newspapers at the time, as well as correspondence and records from one of the most significant manufacturing firms in Kanawha. A comprehensive survey of the available academic literature on the subject and work done under the theory of the New History of Capitalism support and expand upon these sources to show the importance and impact of this unique part of American history. This author draws evidence showing the commercial, industrial, and corporate developments and impact of Kanawha’s industry and illustrates the system's absolute reliance on a developing and growing system of leased slave labor. Together, these variables show the inseparable nature of American industrial development and slavery, with important implications for our historical understanding of the Antebellum world and American history.