Housing for Slaves and Servants: The "new" Affordable Housing

Have we really progressed as a nation in the last 200 years?  Not really.  Back in 1817 we were forming ourselves as a nation.  Two distinct area characteristics were beginning to develop -- the North and the South.

Tobacco was a big deal in the southern United States as was cotton and peanuts.  Sprawling, elegant plantations sprung up to produce these lucrative crops.  I liken the plantations of the south to the McMansions of today - unnecessary and pretentious.  The plantation owners needed manpower to work the fields, clean house, satisfy their sexual urges, exploit, etc.  Better sail over to Africa and steal them kicking and screaming up out of the jungle and bring 'em back as slaves. That's what they did. It's an ugly bit of history, but it existed until the Civil War abolished slavery with the 13th amendment of the constitution back in 1865.  

The North was no better.  The developing industrial era and budding factories used people as if they were disposable, and in despicable conditions.   The north depended on desperate boat loads of immigrants coming from Europe through Ellis Island to serve as their servant/slave base.  Entire immigrant families with young children all worked for "the company."  Pay was paltry.  There was no OSHA safety standards.  Losing fingers and limbs was all part of it.  Benefits were nil. 

IMHO, both the north and south had their slaves.  The only difference was that the north's slaves were pretty much ivory toned skinned and the south's were black.  What is different from today than yesterday is that "the company" offered housing, despite bleak and dirty, to their workers.  Southern plantation owners had the slave quarters where they lived.  Today nobody wants to house the slaves and servants despite the fact that we all use them. 

See, we are all slave/servant owners.  Today, instead of outright ownership and responsibility of a physical body, we rent our slaves and servants for a project, a day, a task, an event, etc.  Waiters, waitresses, cooks, gardeners, babysitters, caterers, auto mechanics, janitors, artists, bookkeepers, are all our collective slaves.  When we are done with the slave's labor we throw a couple bucks at them, and then turn around and walk away never giving them a second thought as to where they are actually going to live on such meek earnings. 

At least the south of old housed their slaves as did the north with their "company" housing.  How come we aren't doing the same?  Both the north and south realized their slave labor needed their help to live somewhere reasonably near.  Call them barbaric, but at least the slave owning southerners realized the importance of a healthy, accissible workforce in order for them to be productive and profitable.  So, I go back to my first paragraph when asking if we are really more advanced as a society 200 years later?