During the pivotal decade of the 1830s, during the cotton and land boom.
In 1831 the Mississippi lawyer and politician Sargent S. Prentiss expressed a commonly held belief, “That slavery is a great evil, there can be no doubt-and it is an un fortunate circumstance that it was ever introduced into this or any other country. At present, however, it is a necessary evil, and I do not think admits of a remedy.”