The Right of American Slavery

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hoit, T. W. (True Worthy), 1815-

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"The Right of American Slavery" by T. W. Hoit is a controversial treatise advocating for the institution of slavery, published in the tumultuous period leading up to the American Civil War during the early 1860s. This work presents itself as a philosophical justification for slavery based on a belief in the inferiority of the African race compared to European Americans. The author argues that slavery is a moral and civil necessity, asserting that it serves the greater good of civilization by protecting and uplifting those he views as inherently barbaric. In this book, Hoit outlines his views on the nature of African people, asserting they are "barbarians" who are thus suited for slavery. He draws on historical and contemporary examples to argue that civilizations have a right and obligation to dominate and "civilize" those he perceives as less capable. Throughout the work, he dismisses emancipation, regarding it as a moral error with catastrophic potential, forecasting ruin should society abandon the institution of slavery. Overall, Hoit's arguments reflect a deeply entrenched racist ideology that seeks to rationalize and defend slavery while warning against the dangers of social and political equality with African Americans. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Credits:

Produced by Bryan Ness and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from scans of public domain works at the University of Michigan's Making of America collection.)

Notes:

Reading ease score: 54.0 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read.

Release date is 2008-05-01