Question

Which of the following helps explain why slavery was weak in the north in the late eighteenth century?

A. The north did not have many wealthy farmers.
B. Slavery had never been legal in the north
C. Northern slave holders tended to be poor and powerless
D. There was a steady supply of cheap white labor.

Answer 1

Slavery was less prevalent in the North due to a steady supply of cheap white labor, differing economic structures that did not rely on slavery as much as in the South, and developing ethical and political opposition to the institution.

Step-by-step explanation:

Slavery was weak in the North in the late eighteenth century primarily because there was a steady supply of cheap white labor, which undermined the economic necessity of maintaining slaves that was present in the South. While slavery was indeed legal in the North at various points in history, it was not as economically entrenched as it was in the South, where the plantation economy required a large, enslaved workforce.

In the North, free labor ideology and the availability of wage labor from both immigrants and the existing population made slavery less integral to the economy. Additionally, in northern states, there were growing ethical and political movements against slavery, aligning with the economic reality that slavery was not as profitable or necessary in the region.