Question

The fur industry, unlike tobacco and cotton, did not rely on the slave trade. What was the most likely reason for this fact?

Fur traders did not believe in slavery.

Slaves were unwilling to trap and kill animals.

The fur industry required fewer workers.

There was not as much profit in trading furs.

Answer 1

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Answer 2

The fur industry required fewer workers

Answer 3

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Answer 4

I would say none of these. The fur trade generally required very skilled labor -- you have to be clever and skilled to trap animals, or to make very long voyages trading furs from wild areas back to civilization, or manage a business which is very capital intensive.

In general, slave labor is impossible when skilled work is called for, because it isn't really possible to force a man to learn a skill and practice it wisely. You need essentially one skilled overseer for each skilled worker, so the overseer can be sure the worker is doing a good job -- and that just isn't economical, compared to hiring a free man.

Slave labor only works when the labor is unskilled, and the slave needs only very little instruction, and very simple oversight. Go pick cotton off these bushes, and if you don't bring back 2 bushels by dinnertime, you won't get fed. That kind of thing.

That's why there never have been slave merchant captains, or slave master blacksmiths.