How Did Slaveholder Affect Slavery

In Frederick Douglass’ novel, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, he addresses many issues in American culture in the mid 1800s. In the deep south, oppression of African slaves was rampant. Many slave children grew up with the absence of one or both parents due to the treacherous acts slaveholders committed upon these captives. It is often understood, giving the circumstances, that the slave was principal the party being effected. Yet, how was the slaveholder impacted? Although the slaves were brutally and fervently harassed throughout their lives, the slaveholder was often transformed into an evil person in the hands of indignation. One should consider the moral, social, and economical effects slavery had on the epidemic of bondage
Many slave owners became so enthralled in the buying and selling of captive slaves that the thought of one being anything other than property was preposterous. One quote directly from Douglass states, “It was a common saying, even among little white boys, that it was worth a half-cent to kill a “nigger,” and a half-cent to bury one” (Douglass 15). The writer correlates this quote to the common thought of slaves being revenue. It was considered a hassle for the slave owner to use their “hard earned” money for the needs of the slave. The slaveholder was so engaged in creating a profit from the slave that, once more, their sense of morality seemed to rush out the door. Although the negative economic effects of slavery did not hit the south until after the Civil War, many slave owners devoted extensive amounts of time into the slaves. These prolonged hours led to idolization of wealth. In actuality, the primary economic effect of slavery was entirely greed. The slaveholder was so enthralled by the idea of money that he would do anything in his power to minimize the thought of the slave. When considering that the frugality of the slave owner was on the shoulders of a slave one can see why the economic system in the south was mangled