United States History Question of the Day
Answer and Explanation

A victim of slavery
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Question 1090:

Southern defenses of slavery in the 1850s included all of the following except


    (A)    references to slavery in the Bible, including "slaves, obey your masters"
    (B)    an appeal that slavery was actually kinder to the slave than the wage system of Northern cities
    (C)    the Constitution allowed slavery
    (D)    the continued presence of slavery in Great Britain
    (E)    the fact that Rome and Greece both utilized slavery



Answer:
   (D)    the continued presence of slavery in Great Britain

Explanation:
Southerners created varied and elaborate defenses of slavery, appealing to the classical cultures of Greece and Rome, verses in the Bible, the fact that the Constitution permitted it, and the contrast with the conditions of northern industrial workers, who had no job security and were not provided food and housing, as were slaves. Parliament abolished slavery throughout the British Empire in 1833, largely due to the tireless efforts of William Wilberforce who died three days after the final bill was passed.

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