Address to the Non-Slaveholders of the South on the Social and Political Evils of Slavery

"Address to the Non-Slaveholders of the South" by Lewis Tappan is a forceful political argument aimed at the white southerners who did not own slaves during the 1800's. Tappan's writing tries to convince this group that slavery actually hurts them in both their wallets and their communities. He claims that only rich slave owners profit from the system, while everyone else suffers. He uses facts and comparisons to show how the southern states are lagging behind the northern states because of slavery. Tappan's goal is to get non-slaveholding southerners to realize they have the ability to end slavery and improve their own lives by changing the normal ways of life.