Did racism lead to slavery or did slavery lead to racism?

Answer 1

Racism lead to slavery. In order to enslave a person, you have to come the conclusion that they are less than human. In the case of modern N. American slavery (in comparison to the Roman, Arab and Chinese ancient incarnations), the institution was established under the assumption that blacks were not human. At least, not human as Northern Europeans were human. And thus, being less than people, they were suitable for slavery instead of something more akin to indentured servitude. It would have been unthinkable to create slaves out of even the lowliest french, italian or british citizen within the American Colonies.

Thus, racism gave 'permission' to utlize a specific group as chattle, under the guise of them being 'less than human'.

Answer 2

Racism In Slavery

Answer 3

slavery was an economic institution that was practiced regardless. It was the slave trade in the Americas that brought an intercultural mix. While trying to justify the need of slavery, they brought their slaves down to the level of just "property" No social standing whatsoever. Hence, the inequality results and racism is born. The pattern is already imposed, through the longetivity of slavery,onto culture and developes into what we see as racism now.
So to answer your question, it seems slavery was the cause of racism.
To say otherwise undermines the origin of slavery--which existed regardless of race.

Also side note: the chronological sequences of literature or works with racist undertones will also indicate the majority of them came after slavery--providing another point toward the idea that slavery was a predecessor of racism.

Answer 4

Slavery and racism have always existed somewhat independently of one another, though one can surely be modified to serve the other. Both, concepts, however, come from a sort of cultural, or at least "classist" arrogance. The earliest examples of slaves (pre biblical) refer to slaves drawn from within a population that requires slaves: usually indigents and criminals were taken. Once those people were used up, the societies in question (Egyptian, Roman, etc) began taking slaves from neighbors they'd conquered in open warfare, but even in those situations, there was still a kind of "human resource pool" within the societies that depended on slaves. Only recently (comparatively so) did slavery begin to rely almost exclusively on members of ANOTHER society, as with Africans and Europeans/Euro-Americans and in the more modern examples, latent seeds of racism that do exist in relationship to slavery and slave-taking began to attain some measure of dominance.

Answer 5

Slavery leads to racism. Anytime you treat a group of people as property or something to be used and then discarded you eventually see them not as fellow humans but as something inferior.

The perfect example is what is happening right this moment in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. The Israelis come from a background of often terrible discrimination. And yet they have now become some of the most racist and inhuman people on the planet through the process of either enslaving the Palestinians or outright murdering them.

There is a sad irony to all this. If Hilter were alive he would smile and be embraced by the very same people who once feared him. Racism corrupts the soul of the society that practices it and turns the people into a special kind of evil.

Answer 6

Bit of both.

Human nature wants to cast people who are like oneself as better than people not like oneself. That bias requires very little encouragement when coupled with the tendency towards selective memory. This impairs the normal empathy that generally prevents people from casually harming their fellows. A little push from greed and viola.

It ought to be observed that the vast majority of people sold into slavery from subsaharan Africa were were captured and conveyed into the hands of European slavers by their fellow Africans. The tribes and nations of the old slave coast became wealthy and powerful through selling their neighbors into bondage. No racism there, just tribalism and opportunism.

The centrality of slave driven industries and agriculture became a sort of economic addiction that encouraged the foment of hard line ideological racism. The bits in the old testament that cast slavery as benign and the parts about some people being born to serve the chosen people didn't help matters any.

Answer 7

I believe neither.Always been round.It's a commodity market...always was.Friends would sell out neighbours,politics would help exchange unruly units for gold and favours,profiteers would keep their bosses happy and the shareholders were happy too. Colonialism kept everyone happy..If your question is directed at USA (let alone the rest of the world)...Cotton was produced by the USA as its' largest crop long before the Civil War and "Negroes" were physically responsible for it being raised.People used those who seemed vulnerable....wives and children..bait and leverage.Chained,given a new 'name',made to work (slave),separated from family,hassled by dickheads...I now understand why the different names eg Afro etc are a change from the "given" ones. Not too cool. Racism is ignorance.Slavery is money talking.Basically NO respect for others of your own Kind.( I'll give you the drum...you are about 3 worth of chemicals and some have been thought to have a soul/or even own a soul.)In the end..you will have to ask people...Thais..Fillipinos...Chinese..etc etc women in sewing shops..sweat shops,they call them...then Asian girls in brothels,they call them...O Brother,you can't imagine this on a full stomach...Humanity..****.

Answer 8

Racism lead to slavery and slavery made it worse.

Answer 9

Slavery existed in Africa for thousand of years before the Europeans first arrived there. The African tribes enslaved each other as a result of their warfare. When th Arab Muslims arrived, they institutionalized slavery, setting up slave trading post on the west coast of Africa. Slavery was already big business when the Europeans got there. I think that racism was a way of rationalizing owning slaves.

Answer 10

slavery lead to racism

Answer 11

neither did. slavery was actually formed back in the early BC when most slaves were from conquored tribes. there was no real distinction in most races so it was by terriortory. the slavery involving the early US was based on a way to make the act seem less inhuman so there were sterotypes and negative things made up to justify the act. and well as put up by a person before me debt slavery came to in later time when the land system to pay for things changed into a cash system so families would sell there own kids to be able to get money and for there kids to be able to eat. that was my Mycenaean time and then since the greek civilization formed from the Mycenaean civilization it carried over. egytians more used slavery as in conquored people because they were cpnquored by the hyokos tribe in 1600 bc and before there overthrow and the "New Kingdom" they were used as slaves in there own area. then persians used them also and well greeks but well thats too much info for all this