Abolitionists were a controversial minority in the North. Most Northerners were hesitant to disrupt the country’s economic status quo by challenging the institution of slavery. This invoice documenting the sale of cotton and its products in rural Massachusetts underscores the pervasive demand for it throughout the United States. While not abolitionists per se, many Northerners did want to see the end to slavery, yet their insatiable demand for goods produced by the enslaved kept the system profitable in the South and ensured its continuity until the Civil War.
Fuller, Elijah. Bill to Elijah Fuller regarding cotton. February 3, 1849. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l05-044/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.