Mudsill theory
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Mudsill theory is the proposition that there must be, and always has been, a
upper classes
and the rest of society to rest upon.
The term derives from a
foundation
for a building.
History
The theory was first articulated by
plantation owner, in a speech on March 4, 1858. Hammond argued that every society must find a class of people to do menial labor, whether called slaves or not, and that assigning that status on a racial basis followed natural law, while the Northern United States' social class of white wage laborers presented a revolutionary threat.[1]
It was directly used to advocate
African slaves but also used destitute whites.[citation needed
]
Criticism
Many saw the argument as a weak justification for
circular argument.[citation needed
]
Mudsill theory and similar
Master-Class"[3] which fought for the rights of the propertied elite against what were perceived as threats from the abolitionists
, lower classes and non-whites to gain higher standards of living.
Free States were "neither hirers nor hired" but in such professions as farming, where they worked for themselves.[5]
See also
References
- ^ "Africans in America/Part 4/Mudsill Theory". www.pbs.org.
- ^ Hofstadter, Richard. The American Political Tradition & the Men Who Made It. New York, NY: Knopf, 1974. 86-117.
- ^ Hofstadter, 1974
- ^ "Abraham Lincoln's Speech at the Wisconsin State Fair". www.abrahamlincolnonline.org.
- ISBN 0-8232-2345-0.
External links
The 'Mudsill' Theory speech at Wikisource- "Mudsill Theory" introductory speech given by James Henry Hammond
- "Mudsill Theory", from John Taylor Gatto's The Underground History of American Education
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