Slaves for Wages
In the time when people were moving to cities to find their fortunes, there came the need to find employment. These emigrants and country folk that moved to the cities created a large employee pool from which the manufacturers of the North were able to pull from to not only increased their own wealth, but give a little hope to those who worked for them. At least that was the plan. Depending on who was discussing the point, the ideas about wage labor varied as much as the ideas about slavery. In some cases, wage labor was considered a type of slavery, but in the end wage labor won out. Slavery was abolished, but slaves to wages were created.
The idea of slaves to wages was not the belief of everyone. In fact, Abraham Lincoln in his speech in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1859, talks about his views of wage labor and those views that are held by others. Lincoln believed, from his own experience, was that men offer themselves as wage laborers in order to gain experience, and money to create their own life and in that be able to hire some young man and get him started in life (Lincoln 84). However, Judge Douglas and many of the southern citizens viewed wage labor as horrendous and believed that slavery was better. Their basis was the idea that the slave owner cared for all the necessities of the slave throughout life, while the wage laborer never got ahead and remained in service to the business owner, until he was no longer useful and then was laid on the public for support (Lincoln 83).
From the white mans view it is obvious that there are two sides to this debate of which is better than the other. However, for most slaves, the idea of wage labor is a much better life than that of a slave. Frederick Douglass explains this very fact in Chapter 11 of the Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave. For Douglass there was no option. Being free was a much better way of living. He tells that as a slave, his owner hired him out, but the wages that he received for his work had to be given to the master at the end of each week. He tells that if he made 6 or more, his master would give him six cents for his work (Douglass). Eventually, Douglass got his freedom and worked for himself. Even though the work was hard, he was happy to do whatever task was given to him, for he worked for himself and his family and not for the wealthy slave owner that could really care less about the conditions in which the slaves lived.
Both Lincoln and Douglass found that wage labor was a step up for all prospective employees. The employee worked for the employer and was given wages in which to live. Unlike the slave, who was forced to work for no wages, but was given food and housing. This is one of the major problems with deciding which type of employment was most effective. One factor that is laid out as being detrimental to both types of employment is burn out. While not called burn out in the evidential documents, the industrial aspects of the wage laborer and the slave wanes as the activities associated with the job become more robotic than thought invoked. Tocqueville states the art advances, the artisan recedes (FIU). This is a powerful message and fairly accurate in that many employees over the years lose themselves to their jobs. They become the job and when they retire they lose a part of themselves in the process.
Unlike Tocqueville, Hamilton in his Report on Manufactures sees the concept and life of a wage earner in a different light. In fact, he laid out the new concept of wage labor in light of the industrialization and the use of machinery in manufacturing factories. He saw the wage laborer as important. Age and gender helped to define the type of work that the person could perform in the best manner (Hamilton). For example, many children worked with cotton machinery and cloth weaving machines because they were small. Should a full size man try to do the job and he would be unable to fit in the areas that are required for the job. In contrast, a woman would not work as a physical laborer digging holes and such. She would work in the more refined areas of the manufacturing plant as with the children.
There was also talk of a new aristocratic governing body created by the capitalists and business leaders of the time. In an aristocracy, the employee was reliant on the aristocrat for much including protection. This was expected for the work the peasant did for the lord of the manor. However, the new aristocracy was only the leadership of those with money. They did not feel any responsibility to their employees for anything but the cheapest wage that the employees would accept. The business owners bought supplies cheap, and paid their employees a pittance, and kept the rest for themselves (FIU Orestes). Then they ran the state governments and the actions of the governments were in the interests of the wealthy few rather than the poor many.
In any event, for many the concept of slave labor was not the permanent answer and Lincoln even says as much in his Speech in Cincinnati when he mentions that slavery was to be used only for twenty years and then ended. Of course the Constitution did not say that slaver would end, but the purchasing of slaves from Africa. Of course, those in the slave states fought this as long as they could, but eventually they lost their cheap labor and were forced to pay their labor wages.
Slave owners wanted to believe that wage labor was not permanent and in this sense, charged their employees to live in the shacks that were once provided to them at no cost in a way to keep their money. Even in the north men and women of color were forced to work in specific jobs. Even if they were qualified, many of the white men did not want to work beside a black man, free or not, thereby creating an invisible barrier between the races (Douglass Lincoln).
This barrier was not just between color but gender and age as well. The new concepts of wage labor created a new abuse of the employee. While the employer could not whip the employee, he could pay little in wages and make the employee work long hours in less than sanitary conditions. The fact is that to keep the wages low, the family, all ages, had to work, from young childhood until old feeble age. Each faction of the family worked in specific jobs. The children usually worked in the cloth and clothing manufacturing plants, while the men worked in more physical jobs. Even with the family working, very few lived up to
Lincolns belief of getting out of poverty and living the American dream. If anything the wage laborers in the northern cities were pushed deeper into poverty to ensure that there would always be laborers.
It seems from the evidence that those people who truly embraced the concept of wage labor, did not truly understand the basis and the actual ways in which the laborers were treated. Lincoln believed he had been a wage laborer. While he did work for wages it was not in one of the major cities in the northeast, but in Illinois. His basis for comparison was skewed from the beginning. Even though his utopian view was believed by many, the truth was obvious to many in the northeast where they worked for little and often owed more than they made.
Douglass, too, lives in a bit of a utopian society in regards to working. He does acknowledge that he was unable to find a job as a caulker, which was his trade. He was kept from the job because he was black, but he did find other employment and did actually make a good living and prospered. But again, he had the help of others that led him in the right path.
Hamilton mentions the division of classes in employment and the use of immigrants as cheap labor. Women and children have already been discussed, but the use of foreign labor actually caused more problems to wage laborers in the long run. The emigrant workers from Europe were excited about receiving pay for work, and would undermine those people that were Americans creating a lower than needed wage for employees. In many cases, the wages and work were not equal and the positions were more or less free slave labor.
It seems that more people between the years of 1790 and 1861 were not happy with the concept of wage labor. Many wanted to keep the slaves at least in the slave states. Even Lincoln agreed that the slave states should be allowed to continue in their way. He believed that slaves were most useful in the agricultural states where their labor was best utilized. Other agreed with this fact and was one of the reasons that new territories were often in feuds about being a free state or slave state.
The idea of slaves in the north and many new territories however, was not accepted. There were enough poor white people and free or escaped black people in which to employ in their factories, businesses and homes. The wages were minimal and the workers gave their all. They gave up their lives for the employers and employers made promises that many believed, but few actually obtained. Wage labor was the new permanent wave of the future and even those that hoped it would go away could not have imagined the wealth that this type of work force could create for the businessmen of the time and in the future.
The idea of slaves to wages was not the belief of everyone. In fact, Abraham Lincoln in his speech in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1859, talks about his views of wage labor and those views that are held by others. Lincoln believed, from his own experience, was that men offer themselves as wage laborers in order to gain experience, and money to create their own life and in that be able to hire some young man and get him started in life (Lincoln 84). However, Judge Douglas and many of the southern citizens viewed wage labor as horrendous and believed that slavery was better. Their basis was the idea that the slave owner cared for all the necessities of the slave throughout life, while the wage laborer never got ahead and remained in service to the business owner, until he was no longer useful and then was laid on the public for support (Lincoln 83).
From the white mans view it is obvious that there are two sides to this debate of which is better than the other. However, for most slaves, the idea of wage labor is a much better life than that of a slave. Frederick Douglass explains this very fact in Chapter 11 of the Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave. For Douglass there was no option. Being free was a much better way of living. He tells that as a slave, his owner hired him out, but the wages that he received for his work had to be given to the master at the end of each week. He tells that if he made 6 or more, his master would give him six cents for his work (Douglass). Eventually, Douglass got his freedom and worked for himself. Even though the work was hard, he was happy to do whatever task was given to him, for he worked for himself and his family and not for the wealthy slave owner that could really care less about the conditions in which the slaves lived.
Both Lincoln and Douglass found that wage labor was a step up for all prospective employees. The employee worked for the employer and was given wages in which to live. Unlike the slave, who was forced to work for no wages, but was given food and housing. This is one of the major problems with deciding which type of employment was most effective. One factor that is laid out as being detrimental to both types of employment is burn out. While not called burn out in the evidential documents, the industrial aspects of the wage laborer and the slave wanes as the activities associated with the job become more robotic than thought invoked. Tocqueville states the art advances, the artisan recedes (FIU). This is a powerful message and fairly accurate in that many employees over the years lose themselves to their jobs. They become the job and when they retire they lose a part of themselves in the process.
Unlike Tocqueville, Hamilton in his Report on Manufactures sees the concept and life of a wage earner in a different light. In fact, he laid out the new concept of wage labor in light of the industrialization and the use of machinery in manufacturing factories. He saw the wage laborer as important. Age and gender helped to define the type of work that the person could perform in the best manner (Hamilton). For example, many children worked with cotton machinery and cloth weaving machines because they were small. Should a full size man try to do the job and he would be unable to fit in the areas that are required for the job. In contrast, a woman would not work as a physical laborer digging holes and such. She would work in the more refined areas of the manufacturing plant as with the children.
There was also talk of a new aristocratic governing body created by the capitalists and business leaders of the time. In an aristocracy, the employee was reliant on the aristocrat for much including protection. This was expected for the work the peasant did for the lord of the manor. However, the new aristocracy was only the leadership of those with money. They did not feel any responsibility to their employees for anything but the cheapest wage that the employees would accept. The business owners bought supplies cheap, and paid their employees a pittance, and kept the rest for themselves (FIU Orestes). Then they ran the state governments and the actions of the governments were in the interests of the wealthy few rather than the poor many.
In any event, for many the concept of slave labor was not the permanent answer and Lincoln even says as much in his Speech in Cincinnati when he mentions that slavery was to be used only for twenty years and then ended. Of course the Constitution did not say that slaver would end, but the purchasing of slaves from Africa. Of course, those in the slave states fought this as long as they could, but eventually they lost their cheap labor and were forced to pay their labor wages.
Slave owners wanted to believe that wage labor was not permanent and in this sense, charged their employees to live in the shacks that were once provided to them at no cost in a way to keep their money. Even in the north men and women of color were forced to work in specific jobs. Even if they were qualified, many of the white men did not want to work beside a black man, free or not, thereby creating an invisible barrier between the races (Douglass Lincoln).
This barrier was not just between color but gender and age as well. The new concepts of wage labor created a new abuse of the employee. While the employer could not whip the employee, he could pay little in wages and make the employee work long hours in less than sanitary conditions. The fact is that to keep the wages low, the family, all ages, had to work, from young childhood until old feeble age. Each faction of the family worked in specific jobs. The children usually worked in the cloth and clothing manufacturing plants, while the men worked in more physical jobs. Even with the family working, very few lived up to
Lincolns belief of getting out of poverty and living the American dream. If anything the wage laborers in the northern cities were pushed deeper into poverty to ensure that there would always be laborers.
It seems from the evidence that those people who truly embraced the concept of wage labor, did not truly understand the basis and the actual ways in which the laborers were treated. Lincoln believed he had been a wage laborer. While he did work for wages it was not in one of the major cities in the northeast, but in Illinois. His basis for comparison was skewed from the beginning. Even though his utopian view was believed by many, the truth was obvious to many in the northeast where they worked for little and often owed more than they made.
Douglass, too, lives in a bit of a utopian society in regards to working. He does acknowledge that he was unable to find a job as a caulker, which was his trade. He was kept from the job because he was black, but he did find other employment and did actually make a good living and prospered. But again, he had the help of others that led him in the right path.
Hamilton mentions the division of classes in employment and the use of immigrants as cheap labor. Women and children have already been discussed, but the use of foreign labor actually caused more problems to wage laborers in the long run. The emigrant workers from Europe were excited about receiving pay for work, and would undermine those people that were Americans creating a lower than needed wage for employees. In many cases, the wages and work were not equal and the positions were more or less free slave labor.
It seems that more people between the years of 1790 and 1861 were not happy with the concept of wage labor. Many wanted to keep the slaves at least in the slave states. Even Lincoln agreed that the slave states should be allowed to continue in their way. He believed that slaves were most useful in the agricultural states where their labor was best utilized. Other agreed with this fact and was one of the reasons that new territories were often in feuds about being a free state or slave state.
The idea of slaves in the north and many new territories however, was not accepted. There were enough poor white people and free or escaped black people in which to employ in their factories, businesses and homes. The wages were minimal and the workers gave their all. They gave up their lives for the employers and employers made promises that many believed, but few actually obtained. Wage labor was the new permanent wave of the future and even those that hoped it would go away could not have imagined the wealth that this type of work force could create for the businessmen of the time and in the future.
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