James Monroe
James Monroe was surrounded by slaves who worked the land while he was a child growing up on a tobacco farm in Virginia. The situation didn’t seem to change because, even as an adult, he owned roughly thirty slaves at his property, Highland, and he “inherited” one enslaved laborer from his father named Ralph.
Monroe believed that the ultimate answer to the slavery problem would be colonization or the resettling of enslaved workers outside of the United States. He did, however, keep owning slaves during his time as President of the U.S.
John Tyler
Some historians claim that the savage elements of slavery physically sickened John Tyler, but he nonetheless continued to keep over 70 slaves, and he even kept them while serving as president. That’s why we will put him on the list of US Presidents who were pro-slavery.
Compared to the previous ones, he was accused of being the father of children with his female slaves during his political career; however, this was never established.
Tyler may not agree with the practice. The Missouri Compromise did not sit well with him since he was against federal regulation. Additionally, he supported the practice’s expansion into areas where it was advantageous commercially to do so.
He was in favor of outlawing the slave trade and stopping the importation of new slaves into the District of Columbia, but he also believed the institution would eventually disappear on its own.
One Response
In order to understand why these presidents were pro-slavery, we must go back to the customs of the times. Those who were rich & powerful could do anything they wanted, & the law looked the other way. Slavery was an accepted institution. Not all slaves were treated badly, most had kind masters who gave them food & shelter, albeit of low quality. They worked long hours, & were exhausted at the end of a 12-hour day. The white non-slave were not much better off, working long hours for little pay, living in squalor. If a white worker got injured or died, nobody cared for the family. Corruption & bribery were rampant. Congressmen & Presidents often took bribes, or participated in crooked schemes to enrich themselves. Regretably, not much has changed!