George Fitzugh

Just before the Civil War erupted within America during the 19th century, arguments and debates over slavery were very prominent and common. These debates were spurred by author, George Fitzburgh, a pro-slavery colonist who supported slavery because he felt that it was good for everyone within America.

Explaining that a paternalistic society was orderly and structured, Fitzhugh described that following the traditional values was best for masters, slaves, and non-slaveholding whites. In his view, allowing the masters to take care of the weaker and poorer slaves, slavery actually protected the weak, rather than devoured them, as in a capitalist society.

In the North, industries and factories were succeeding, promoting free trade and competition. This often allowed entrepreneurs to control the weak and poor members of the society, and as Fitzhugh explained, allowed the strong to “enslave” the weak. In the South, he felt there was a more successful and orderly institution that protected the weak, actually making them the most free of all people.

Through his writings, others were able to read his logic and support his ideas. These supporters helped prolong the slavery debates and actually helped launch the Civil War. A pro-slavery propagandist, George Fitzhugh felt that slavery was the best situation for America economically and socially.