History
Document Analysis Essay Assignment #3
Orestes Brownson a philosopher, minister, and journalist from the 1840s compared the slave labor system with the wage labor system in Orestes Brownson Condemns “Wage Slavery,” 1840. Despite the fact Branson states that he does not advocate slavery and considers himself a modern abolitionist, Brownson says that if given the chance to choose between slave labor and waged labor, slave labor would be the one he recommends. “We regard the system as decidedly preferable to the system at wages.” (Orestes Brownson Condemns “Wage Slavery,” 1840) He defends his argument by saying the slave that was never free suffers less than someone who works for a living. “The laborer at wages has all the disadvantages of freedom and none of its blessings, while the slave, if denied the blessings, is freed from the disadvantages.” (Orestes Brownson Condemns “Wage Slavery,” 1840) This simply explains the fact that the waged worker may be ‘free’ but are faced with disadvantages that slaves don’t necessarily have to worry about. Some examples would be that the slaves are given food, lodging, and even the rations given may not have been much the slaves were better off than the waged worker who had to supply his family with a place to sleep, something to eat, and clothes to wear, things that were not promised because they may or may not have been able to afford it depending on their pay. A key difference to note (as mentioned before) is that the waged worker may not make enough money to be able to properly provide for his family with his current wage assuming he has a job, while a slave is supplied with these things by their masters.
Upon noting this difference Brownson introduces the working class of females describing them as industrious and hard working, Brownson does not overlook the fact that the female workers are paid poorly for their labor. “And yet there is a man who employs them to make shirts, trousers, etc., and grows rich on their
Orestes Brownson a philosopher, minister, and journalist from the 1840s compared the slave labor system with the wage labor system in Orestes Brownson Condemns “Wage Slavery,” 1840. Despite the fact Branson states that he does not advocate slavery and considers himself a modern abolitionist, Brownson says that if given the chance to choose between slave labor and waged labor, slave labor would be the one he recommends. “We regard the system as decidedly preferable to the system at wages.” (Orestes Brownson Condemns “Wage Slavery,” 1840) He defends his argument by saying the slave that was never free suffers less than someone who works for a living. “The laborer at wages has all the disadvantages of freedom and none of its blessings, while the slave, if denied the blessings, is freed from the disadvantages.” (Orestes Brownson Condemns “Wage Slavery,” 1840) This simply explains the fact that the waged worker may be ‘free’ but are faced with disadvantages that slaves don’t necessarily have to worry about. Some examples would be that the slaves are given food, lodging, and even the rations given may not have been much the slaves were better off than the waged worker who had to supply his family with a place to sleep, something to eat, and clothes to wear, things that were not promised because they may or may not have been able to afford it depending on their pay. A key difference to note (as mentioned before) is that the waged worker may not make enough money to be able to properly provide for his family with his current wage assuming he has a job, while a slave is supplied with these things by their masters.
Upon noting this difference Brownson introduces the working class of females describing them as industrious and hard working, Brownson does not overlook the fact that the female workers are paid poorly for their labor. “And yet there is a man who employs them to make shirts, trousers, etc., and grows rich on their