There never has yet existed a wealthy and a civilized society in which one portion of the community did not live on the labor of another. The speaker of the above quotation was defending which of the following?
The speaker is John C. Calhoun was defending the institution of slavery. The speaker clearly is defending slavery by stating that there are historical precedents for it. The speaker is remembered for strongly defending slavery and for advancing the concept of minority rights in politics, which he did in the context of defending Southern values from perceived Northern threats.