Question

this passage reflects pro - slavery arguments used to defend slavery in the 1800s. it should be read as an example of southern justification for slavery, not as a factual account of enslaved life.
george fitzhugh, a pro - slavery argument, 1857
\the negro slaves of the south are the happiest, and, in some sense, the freest people in the world. the children and the aged and infirm work not at all, and yet have all the comforts and necessaries of life provided for them. they enjoy liberty, because they are oppressed neither by care nor labor. the women do little hard work, and are protected from the despotism of their husbands by their masters.
the negro men and stout boys work, on the average, in good weather, not more than nine hours a day. the balance of their time is spent in perfect abandon. besides, they have their sabbaths and holidays... the wily and watchful capitalist is devising means to ensnare and exploit them.
the free laborer must work or starve. he is more of a slave than the negro because he works longer and harder for less allowance than the slave and has no holiday, because the cares of life with him begin when its labors end. he has no liberty, and not a single right.\
fitzhugh george. \a pro - slavery argument, 1857.\ america in class. national humanities center, 2007. https://americainclass.org/a - pro - slavery - argument/.
which of the following terms, as applied to slavery in the south, best reflects fitzhughs argument?
select one answer
a cotton kingdom.
b necessary evil.
c peculiar institution.
d southern strategy.
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Explanation:

Fitzugh’s argument defends Southern slavery as a system distinct from Northern free labor, framing it as beneficial for enslaved people. "Peculiar institution" was the term Southerners used to refer to their unique system of slavery, which aligns with Fitzugh’s justification of it as a distinct, (falsely) positive practice. Other options: A refers to cotton’s economic role, B views slavery as negative, D is a later political term.

Answer:

C. Peculiar institution.