With reference to the problem of slavery in the USA, answer the following question:

(a) What was the role of slaves in the US economy?

(b) When and under which circumstances was slavery abolished in the USA?

(a) The southern states were primarily agricultural with huge plantations. Thousands of slaves worked in cotton, sugarcane and tobacco plantations. Slaves acted as cheap, convenient and efficient tools for development of the large growing plantations. The slaves had no rights and were not paid wages for their labour. Slaves were bought and sold like a commodity by their masters, treated badly and were made to live in unhygienic conditions. The Economy of Southern States, thus depended on slave labour.

(b) In Sept. 1862, Lincoln issued the Proclamation of Emancipation declaring that if any State continued to rebel till January 1, 1863, it would be presumed that the slaves living in that state were automatically free and their masters had no right over them. Thus, by this Proclamation Lincoln abolished slavery in the areas still in rebellion against the federal government bringing an end to slavery in the USA.