Cotton is King, and Pro-Slavery Arguments Comprising the Writings of Hammond, Harper, Christy, Stringfellow, Hodge, Bledsoe, and Cartrwright on This Important Subject

In Cotton is King, editor E. N. Elliott compiles the most influential pro-slavery arguments of the antebellum South, gathering writings from seven prominent thinkers including James Hammond, William Harper, and other leading intellectuals of the era. Published in 1860 on the eve of the Civil War, this historical document presents the economic, religious, and political defenses that Southern slaveholders constructed to justify their institution during America's deepest sectional crisis. Elliott's collection captures a pivotal moment when slavery had become the central dividing issue threatening the nation's unity. The essays reveal how antebellum Southern intellectuals attempted to frame slavery as economically necessary, morally defensible, and even beneficial—arguments that shaped the ideological battleground leading up to secession. Elliott's own contribution examines slavery through the lens of international law, adding another dimension to this contested debate. This audiobook serves as an essential primary source for understanding the intellectual foundations of the pro-slavery movement and the historical arguments that divided North from South. Scholars, history students, and anyone seeking to comprehend the ideological roots of America's greatest constitutional crisis will find invaluable insight within these pages. By presenting these arguments directly, the collection allows modern listeners to engage critically with the historical record and understand how one of history's greatest moral wrongs was rationalized by those who perpetuated it.