Immigration, Urbanization and Nativism · US History

The concept of 'Free Labor' in the North was often contrasted with the Southern slave system to argue that:

  1. A person had the right to own their own labor and move up the social ladder
  2. Immigrants should be forced to work for free to pay for their passage
  3. Working in a factory was more oppressive than being enslaved on a plantation
  4. Labor should be completely unregulated by any government laws
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Correct answer: A person had the right to own their own labor and move up the social ladder

The Free Labor ideology held that in a democratic society, a worker should be able to improve their status through hard work. This idea was central to the Northern identity and was seen as being threatened by the expansion of slavery.

Difficulty: Medium Question 11 of 20

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