Comment on White Power Forever by sacredcow

Parent Post: White Power Forever · In Reply To

sacredcow · 3/12/2025, 4:10:56 PM · permalink

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historyisalie · 6/2/2025, 3:18:47 PM · permalink

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crimsonmvestro · 3/12/2025, 4:49:18 PM · permalink

What Made America Wealthy at Its Beginning?

The United States became wealthy early in its existence due to forced labor, land exploitation, resource extraction, and financial systems that benefited elites. The wealth that fueled the nation’s rise did not come from pure ingenuity or “hard work” alone—it was built on a foundation of slavery, stolen land, and exploitative economic policies.

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1\. Stolen Indigenous Land &amp; Natural Resources

Before American independence, European settlers took vast amounts of land from Indigenous peoples through violence, forced removals, and broken treaties. This provided free land for agriculture, mining, and settlement, which became the backbone of America’s economy.

• Land Theft – Native American land was seized through warfare (e.g., Indian Removal Act of 1830).

• Agricultural Wealth – The land was turned into plantations, producing valuable cash crops like tobacco, cotton, rice, and sugar.

• Natural Resources – Forests, minerals, and rivers were exploited to fuel economic expansion (e.g., the Gold Rush, oil booms).

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2\. Enslaved African Labor

Slavery was the single most significant driver of early American wealth. Millions of enslaved Africans were forced to work on plantations, generating massive profits for landowners and merchants.

• Cotton &amp; Sugar – By the early 1800s, cotton was the U.S.’s most valuable export, and it depended entirely on slave labor.

• Slave Labor Built the Economy – Enslaved people worked in agriculture, construction, domestic labor, and industry, enriching their owners while receiving nothing in return.

• Wall Street &amp; Banking – Many early American banks, including those in New York, profited directly from the slave trade by insuring slave ships, financing plantations, and handling transactions.

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3\. Exploitative Trade &amp; Mercantilism

Before independence, the American colonies operated under British mercantilism, meaning they produced raw goods (cotton, tobacco, timber) that were sent to Britain for processing and sale. After the U.S. broke away, it used similar tactics to enrich itself:

• Exporting Raw Materials – The U.S. sold agricultural goods and resources to Europe while developing its own industries.

• Shipping &amp; Trade – Northern merchants and shipowners, many of whom participated in the slave trade, became extremely wealthy by transporting goods and enslaved people.

• Protective Tariffs – The U.S. government imposed tariffs to protect domestic industries while benefiting from international trade.

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4\. Cheap &amp; Exploited Labor After Slavery

Even after slavery was abolished, America continued to rely on exploited labor:

• Sharecropping &amp; Convict Leasing – After slavery, Black people in the South were forced into quasi-slavery through racist laws that kept them working on plantations for little to no pay.

• Industrial Revolution &amp; Exploited Workers – Poor European immigrants (Irish, Italians, Eastern Europeans) worked in brutal conditions for low wages in factories, mines, and railroads.

• Chinese &amp; Mexican Labor – Chinese immigrants built railroads but were banned from citizenship (Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882), while Mexican laborers were exploited under programs like the Bracero Program.

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5\. Military Expansion &amp; Imperialism

• Westward Expansion – The U.S. took land from Indigenous tribes and Mexico (e.g., Texas, California) to expand farming and resource extraction.

• Monroe Doctrine &amp; Global Power – The U.S. used its military to dominate the Western Hemisphere economically and politically.

• Spanish-American War (1898) – The U.S. took control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, expanding its influence.

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Conclusion: America’s Early Wealth Was Built on Exploitation

The myth of America’s early wealth being based purely on “hard work” ignores the reality of stolen land, enslaved labor, and exploitative capitalism. While innovation and industry played a role, they were secondary to the massive wealth generated by slavery, land theft, and economic manipulation.

Without the exploitation of Black labor, Indigenous land, and immigrant workers, America would not have become the global economic power it is today.  
  
  
You are really fucking dumb to not know this being that you are Irish. Your ancestors were looked at as "other" at one point in time too. Only thing is, yall were already white passing so it was easier to assimilate into the rest of the Eurasians.

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sacredcow · 3/12/2025, 4:50:52 PM · permalink

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crimsonmvestro · 3/12/2025, 5:01:23 PM · permalink

It is so easy to refute yall's talking points lmfao  
  
1\. Economic Benefits for Non-Slaveholding Whites

Even poor and working-class white people benefited from the system of slavery in ways beyond just direct ownership.

• Jobs &amp; Livelihoods:

• The economy of the Southern U.S. was built on slavery, and many white workers made a living by supporting the system:

• Overseers &amp; Slave Patrols: White men were employed to manage slaves or hunt down runaways.

• Artisans &amp; Tradesmen: Blacksmiths, carpenters, shipbuilders, and others made money supplying plantations with tools, wagons, and infrastructure.

• Small Farmers: Even those without slaves relied on large plantations to purchase their goods.

• Cheap Goods &amp; Services:

• Slavery kept the price of goods like cotton, sugar, tobacco, and rice low. Even poor whites had access to products that were otherwise expensive in other countries.

• Industries in both the North and South benefited—textile mills in New England relied on cheap cotton from Southern plantations.

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2\. Social &amp; Psychological Benefits

Even if they weren’t wealthy, slavery reinforced a racial hierarchy that gave common white people social and legal privileges.

• White Supremacy &amp; Status:

• Even the poorest white person could feel superior to enslaved Black people, which helped maintain the system.

• Southern elites encouraged this mentality to prevent poor whites from uniting with enslaved people against the wealthy class.

• Land &amp; Westward Expansion:

• After the Civil War, white settlers benefited from land taken from freed Black people through racial violence and laws like Black Codes.

• The Homestead Act (1862) provided free land to white settlers, while formerly enslaved people were largely denied access.

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3\. Political &amp; Legal Benefits

• Voting Power (Three-Fifths Compromise):

• Even though enslaved people couldn’t vote, Southern states got extra representation in Congress because of the Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted slaves as 3/5 of a person.

• This gave more political power to white Southerners, even if they were poor.

• Better Wages &amp; Union Power (Post-Slavery Period):

• After slavery ended, Southern states used “Black Codes” and convict leasing to keep Black labor cheap.

• This kept jobs and wages higher for white workers, who didn’t have to compete with free Black labor in many industries.

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4\. Northern &amp; Global Benefits

• Northern Industries Profited:

• Many white industrialists in the North made money from slavery, even though slavery was abolished there earlier.

• Banks in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia financed the slave trade, insured slave ships, and invested in cotton production.

• Working-Class Whites in the UK &amp; Europe:

• Factories in Britain and France depended on cheap cotton from the South.

• The Industrial Revolution was fueled by cheap materials from slavery-based economies.

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Conclusion

Slavery wasn’t just about plantation owners—it shaped an entire economic and social system that benefited common white people through:

✔️ Economic opportunities (jobs, small businesses, and access to cheap goods)

✔️ Social hierarchy (ensuring poor whites had more rights than any Black person)

✔️ Political power (more voting influence for Southern whites)

Even after slavery was abolished, white Americans continued to benefit through Jim Crow laws, land theft, and segregation, which maintained racial wealth gaps that still exist today.

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sacredcow · 3/12/2025, 5:19:25 PM · permalink

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