Yes, I think it's interesting. Also interesting to speculate how much of political speech is actually believed by the speaker and how much is rhetoric. This is an area I often disagreed with my professors who were political historians (one of whom is now big on Substack). They often seem WAY too credulous.
Personally, I think that politicians of the Antebellum South genuinely believed in this "positive good" ideology. Although morally evil, slavery was very good for their plantation-based economy. Being zealous Christians, the Southerners must have seen themselves as "holier than thou" compared to the "pagan" black Africans.
But yeah, politicians frequently lie to persuade the public, especially in democracies (check out John Mearsheimer's book "Why Leaders Lie": https://youtu.be/VPe5f5dcrGE?feature=shared).
It's truly astonishing to see such a sophisticated defense of something as evil as slavery. Interesting document though, for historians.
Yes, I think it's interesting. Also interesting to speculate how much of political speech is actually believed by the speaker and how much is rhetoric. This is an area I often disagreed with my professors who were political historians (one of whom is now big on Substack). They often seem WAY too credulous.
Personally, I think that politicians of the Antebellum South genuinely believed in this "positive good" ideology. Although morally evil, slavery was very good for their plantation-based economy. Being zealous Christians, the Southerners must have seen themselves as "holier than thou" compared to the "pagan" black Africans.
But yeah, politicians frequently lie to persuade the public, especially in democracies (check out John Mearsheimer's book "Why Leaders Lie": https://youtu.be/VPe5f5dcrGE?feature=shared).