The History of Slavery: Past and Present, Essay Example

There have been many struggles endured by the Negro race as slaves, of which many disparities that still exist today. I will discuss the history of slavery including how it commenced and ended in the New World and how slavery has impacted the history of the United States as well as other countries. In my opinion the impact of slavery has lead to a slave mentality that has impacted black African population due to increase of poverty, increased jail rates, and the systematically breakdown of black households.

Most slaves were very loyal to their masters but showed discontent to slave owners as an absolute moral way of thinking because of the immoral and unjust treatment slaves were forced to endure at the hand of their masters. Some slaves worked directly on the plantation whilst others worked in town for their masters. “Around the 1840’s the slaves began to accumulate some money towards their own freedom when they would work outside of the plantation. In many states such as Alabama this kind of working condition between outside owners and slaves were illegal but many shop owners did so to help out the slaves.” (Meadows, 2001).  Many slaves saved money to buy their freedom eventually. Some slaves were able to escape to Philadelphia then send a paid bounty to someone to fetch their family back in the south. Some were not successful at all. The taking or rescuing of a slave was quite difficult because they were not all allowed to leave the plantation at the same time. Slaves had to eventually slip out of the plantation home that housed them if they wanted their passage to freedom. There was constant danger through their journey to Philadelphia even though they were accompanied by sort of a bounty hunter. They had to travel approximately 300 miles by foot and horse if available along the Tennessee River, about 100 miles up the Ohio River and another 50 miles up the Wabash River. There were often slave catchers and men with guns simply waiting to bring slaves back to the plantation. The words “Nigre thief” were often plastered on the tombstones of those who tried to escape with slave and were killed in the process. It is not surprising to see this was a long, perilous and dangerous journey for both the slaves and those who took the risks to free the slaves. Most slave bounty hunters were paid about $100 to go and fetch a freed slave’s family for them.

Elkins contrasted the slavery system with that of the British who had abolished slavery without the need for war. “The abolitionists weakened their stance by refusing to compromise with the issues of slave abolition” according to Elkins (1959). Elkins based his second argument of slavery abolition on the psychological effects of Nazi concentration camps. He postured that a totalitarian environment promoted resistance hence demoted the ability to promote positive relationships amongst peers. This formulation was named the Sambo model which was not prevalent in other slave countries such as Brazil.

According to Pat Perrin, slavery existed long before even records existed. “Europeans, Asians, Native Americans and Africans all enslaved each other.” (Perrin, 2000). The existence of slavery in these days was considered the ‘norm’ and justified. Even so, Christians attempted to justify the institution of slavery through the quoting of passages in the Bible. It was in 1441 that a Portuguese ship first came to port and began to sell African Americans as slaves in Europe. Many people do not know that slavery commenced in Europe rather than in the southern United States. “The New World’s slaves were poor slaves and found it easy to escape and return home.” (Perrin, 2000). With this said, commercial slavery was introduced such as mass marketing to ensure tobacco, sugar and other products were made by the slaves. The Europeans had no respect for the African Americans and thought of them as savages.

The Quakers absolutely had no tolerance for slavery. Benjamin Franklin had the view that white people who had slaves “don’t work and become weak. Slaves are worked too hard and fed too little. There are more slaves that die than are born and white children simply lay idle.” (Perrin, 2000, 17). Franklin promoted the abolition of slavery, yet he had to still hold the country together solidified. “In 1790 he signed a statement to Congress which read, ‘equal liberty is the birth right of all men’ and asked that all slaves be freed at once. Slavery continued for another twenty years after the signing and ratification of the United States Constitution.

“Seba, a slave, reports having no concept of time of what month or year it was until her freedom. She further states there was simply an endless round of work and sleep.” (Bales, 2004, 2). The Brazilian government came out strong to abolish slavery in the New World and found that slavery without a doubt had led to the destruction of the “natural environment of Brazil.” (Bales, 2004). The publishing of Disposable People led to an outrage and outpouring of followers to the abolition of slavery. Anti-slavery organizations were set up in Washington, D.C. which spread like wildfire to other countries such as India who poured in their support for the abolition cause.

Slavery is not simply a situation of the past. Slavery still exists in some well-developed countries such as France and Germany. “Slaves in Pakistan may have made the shoes you are wearing on your feet today.” (Bales, 2004, 3). It is safe to say there is a form of slavery still present in the Caribbean and in India.  New slavery is about using a slave for their services and simply throwing them away afterwards. “New slavery is not about owning a person anymore but controlling them in a sense.” (Bales, 2004, 4). New slaves are used for the purpose of making people money and making the wealthy wealthier. People recruit slaves now by freeing them from their own country.

New slavery increases poverty rates because the slaves cannot fend for themselves without their controller or if they try to break away they have no real talents or skills to offer thus are stuck on the welfare system which is at the poverty line. Blacks on the average populate prisons across America by the rate of 10,000:1 as compared to the white race. “For every African-American enrolled in those universities, two and a-half Blacks are in prison or on parole in Illinois.” (Street, 2009).

Prisoners lose their right to vote and when their felony records are thrown into the workforce the labor force is left often at a shortage. The moral of the African American goes down which leads to poverty, further crime and jail sentencing in some cases and the vicious cycle goes on continuously. “Ex-offenders’ chances for successful “reintegration” are worsened by the de-legitimization of rehabilitation that has accompanied the rise of the American mass incarceration state.”  (Street, 2009).  There is a systematic breakdown of households because no one in the household is skilled to provide for the family hence there is stress on the family. Further the values are not strong at home, not enough to keep the secular family united hence the family is torn apart. This is very deep-rooted and can only be solved through total abolition of all slavery and through teaching of skills and education. Families must be taught how to stick together through trifling time and this is not an easy task. People are taught through generations and this tainted thinking must somehow be undone. This can be undone with support groups and abolitionist groups. This is the only way to truly free all slaves all over the world.

Bibliography

Meadows, James. Slavery: The Struggle for Freedom. New York: Harcourt Brace, 2001

Elkins, Stanley M. Slavery: A Problem in American Institutional and Intellectual Life New York: New court, 1959

Perrin, Pat. Slavery Connecticut: Westport, 2000.

Bales, Kevin. Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy New York: American Library Association, 2004.

Street, P. (2009) Retrieved March 29, 2010 from, http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/streeracpripov.html