[OPE] Necessity for expansion of Southern slavery: The Economist, Dec. 24, 1859 and cited by Marx

Marx's article "The American Question in England", written Sept. 18,
1861 and published on October 11, 1861
(www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1861/10/11.htm), cites The
Economist, Nov. 5, Dec. 24 asnd 31, 1859. That is, Marx wrote:

     "In 1859, on the occasion of John Brown's Harper's Ferry
expedition, the very same /Economist /published a series of elaborate
articles with a view to prove that, by dint of an /economical law,
/American Slavery was doomed to gradual extinction from the moment it
should be deprived of its power of expansion. That "economical law" was
perfectly understood by the Slaveocracy." (emphasis in original)

Here is a link for the Dec. 24 article that I cannot copy and paste:
      
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=NENZC18600613.2.10&l=mi&e=-------10--1----0--
Go about half-way through.

Written Oct. 20 and published Nov. 7, Marx then wrote "The North
American Civil War" with no citation when he discusses the necessity for
expansion of slavery. However, I think we can accept that earlier
article for the intended citation.

Marx seems to be adopting an understanding he obtained from The
Economist. He did not seem to have critically analyze its accuracy.
Which is OK as life is short and we cannot do everything. It may also
mean that we cannot be too emphatic about an implication for his
historical materialism, insofar as there is polemical quality to his
intentions (using a bourgeois source to defend an argument that the
South is the aggressor in this war). But further research is required
to see if Marx implicitly or explicitly used this explanation in his
scientific work regarding U.S. slavery.

Paul

-- 
=====
(V23) HIDDEN HISTORY OF 9-11, Seven Stories Press, 2nd ed. softcover
(V24) TRANSITIONS IN LATIN AMERICA (V25) WHY CAPITALISM SURVIVES CRISES
(V26) THE NATIONAL QUESTION AND THE QUESTION OF CRISIS
====>   Research in Political Economy, Emerald Group, Bingley, UK
====>   P.Zarembka, ed., www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?issn=0161-7230
====>   or www.buffalo.edu/~zarembka

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Received on Sat Feb 19 10:48:32 2011