[Alberta's Child]

As unbelievable as it may sound, I believe Douglass was correct. He came from a very poor area of Maryland where the plantations were small and the owners didn't live the rich, aristocratic lifestyles. When he got to New Bedford he astutely observed that employers who paid for labor had a financial incentive to use the labor wisely by taking advantage of whatever technology was available at the time. As a result, you had paid laborers in the North using tools and other equipment to do the same tasks that slaves (and their masters!) did by hand in the south.

[iconoclast]

How big did a chicken farm have to be to qualify for "plantation" status with you and Fred? ;o)