Wage labor - and a class of workers who have nothing to sell but their labor - is a part of what defines capitalism. I mean, I don’t want to be so rigid as to say the economic system in the South was nothing like capitalism though, these things don’t always have firm boundaries.
Edit: I’m literally a communist, in no way should my explanation be considered “defending” capitalism. Chattel slavery and capitalism were inexorably entwined together, I’m just getting into the weeds on definitions.
How was it not capitalism? They literally bought and sold people.
Wage labor - and a class of workers who have nothing to sell but their labor - is a part of what defines capitalism. I mean, I don’t want to be so rigid as to say the economic system in the South was nothing like capitalism though, these things don’t always have firm boundaries.
Edit: I’m literally a communist, in no way should my explanation be considered “defending” capitalism. Chattel slavery and capitalism were inexorably entwined together, I’m just getting into the weeds on definitions.