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Democracy vs Economic Growth
- The framers of the US Constitution believed more democracy meant less capital investment and economic growth.
- They intentionally limited democracy to protect investment, challenging popular ideas linking democracy with economic freedom.
Slavery Embedded in Constitution
- The Constitution included slavery compromises to keep slave states in the union, such as the three-fifths clause.
- Some framers naïvely thought slavery would fade soon, but others pushed for expansion of slavery for economic gain.
Slater’s Mill and Cotton Slavery
- Samuel Slater brought stolen British cotton mill technology to Rhode Island, kickstarting US industrial revolution.
- This rise of cotton mills in the North depended on cotton produced by enslaved labor in the South, linking Northern industry and Southern slavery.