• more opportunities for profit for slave owners, increasing their commitment to slavery
  
• those profits were invested in industrialization both in the south and the north and helped the US start the path towards becoming a leader in technology
  
• unintended consequences: slaves found some opportunities (because cash for extra work was the most effective motivator)
• but their families were also more easily separated

To what extent could slaves act independently?

• owners were willing to go along with more independence if they got more money, even as laws tried to restrict that
  
• slaves could manipulate owners myth that they were in a parental role
• giving a little extra money for working harder worked so well to motivate people it was even used on slaves
• always limited by slaves having no rights
  

How complete was slavery?

• slaves in some circumstances could act for themselves, either by networks or accumulating money
• in some situations slaves grew or bought their own food
  
• but they had no rights so could easily be cheated
• negative consequences were harsh--beatings and losing your family
  
• slaves sought to use the paternalist fantasies of slave owners to their advantage
• the importance slaves put on family came from African culture
  
• as tensions over slavery grew rights and liberties were taken away, but at the same time there was more opportunity to make money

slavery played a key role in American wealth
there is another part of this story, the wealth and raw materials from the south-central plantations, not covered by this book