How can anyone ever justify the fact that once upon a time Africans were regarded as property.?

Question

I hear people say slavery was legal in africa but what they fail to say is that never were they treated as property to be destroyed for Insurance claim, never were the slaves in africa treated as subhuman....the europeans want africans to forget slavery , but how can they, when everyday they live with the legacy, the whole of the westindians is a reminder of the trade, they way black people are percieved is a result of the legacy of slavery, how can they ever forget.

Answer 1

I know of none that wish to "justify" slavery.

I know that slavery still goes on and that it was not just something that people from Africa have experienced.

My suggestion is for you to look at the current problem to better educate yourself on the reality of the problem in today's world.

Answer 2

Well, one cannot go back in time, so it can't ever be properly rectified. One has to move on - not forget but move on. The fact is that many cultures throughout history have slavery in their past, including many white cultures. Ireland's Saint Patrick was a Briton enslaved by the Irish, the Romans had slaves and actually many Africans enslaved their fellow Africans from opposing tribes. Africans bought and sold other people, just as the Europeans did. The Japanese enslaved hundreds if not thousands of women only 60 years ago. Many minority cultures have had awful things happen to them and it informs their culture and becomes part of their legacies - no one is asking that one forget. Just to cope. You yourself are not a slave.

Slavery is still going on, right now, mostly for the sex trade. It's mostly women and children. It's an ugly part of humanity. Europeans or whites didn't invent it.

Learn about the history of other peoples and you will see that no one escaped suffering at some point or other. Don't assume that any color or culture had an easy time of it just because their pain is further in the past.

Answer 3

I think it would do us (black folks) any good to sit and dwell on slavery. By no means am I making it less of an issue, but what would it solve? There is no way to justify it, as often as they (some white folks) try to. Our history shows us that we fought for our freedom, and we are still fighting today (whether we want to think so or not). We should not forget, but we should be able to forgive. Not all white folk are for slavery, and it would be unfair to think that they are. Most folks talk about "the man", but they fail to realize that we do more damage to ourselves than any other race. We still live with our slave mentality, and until we get rid of it and start believing that we have a say in this world we will continue on this downward spiral.

Answer 4

I so totally agree with David.I have been to South Africa and let me tell you its a hell hole.Things where bad during Apartheid but they are worse now.I am not condoning slavery or anything like that but at some point in history we all have been enslaved.Give it up,I can whine about the Romans taking Britain and destroying the culture and enslaving people.Jees in fact the only people that have been enslaved the longest are women.So I want all African Americans to apologize to me.Bull right OK.back then their where 2 kinds of people the rich and the poor.They talk about bad living conditions. My peasant ancestors lived in a 1 room cabin they starved most of the time and the kids worked 12 to 14 hours a day.They where abused by their boss and hit as well.So unless you where a lord you where screwed and forced to work your *** of and starve.So stop complaining and start reading some history books.

Answer 5

It can't be justified, but the people of today shouldn't have to reply for things that people long dead have done. What people seem to forget as well is that it wasn't all whites, it was only those that could both afford and wanted slaves and that some of the tribes in Africa did sell their own or other tribes people to the whites, as slaves. Some of those asking for apologies could even be a descendent of slave traders, white or not.

Yes, slavery in any form without consent is wrong. Most people don't think of it though, unless they're sensitive about it.

Answer 6

Here's an idea,instead of worrying about the "legacy" of slavery how about dedicating your energies to the problems where the slave trade is alive and well in a new form,where young women are taken and forced into the sex trade. One of these places is in parts of Africa,good day.

AD

Answer 7

Hello?? Slavery is still going on in Africa. I just read about that tonight on Yahoo news. Maybe you should too. This is a country that practices Islamic law by the way.And about forgetting slavery? Again ,have you been following the news about Africa at all? Famine, civil war, tribal war, SLAVERY, despotism(Mugabe for one), and uncontrolled disease (HIV, just one among many). Don't you remember the Islamic mullahs in Africa saying that vaccine for polio was poison from the West. So let's try some objectivity on this subject sometime.

Answer 8

Get off your soap box.Slavery was accepted as normal until 200 years ago when it was abolished by Britain and enforced by the Royal Navy.
You seem to ignore the fact that coastal towns in Britain
were raided by African barbary pirates who stole people for the white slave trade.Were these people any less slaves than the Africans?
What would you rather be today a rich African American or an
African living in poverty.Looking at it that way we were doing them a favour.

Answer 9

Nobody wants anybody to forget about slavery, forgetting past mistakes is one sure fire way to repeat them. That was a different time and place back then. It is just accept the fact and grow and learn from it. What should scare you now that in 2007 there are still countries and religions that think women and wives are property.

Answer 10

i dont think anyone could ever justify slavery. but it is in the past and we are always being told that unless we forget the past it will affect our present and future. too many wars and trouble is caused by not letting go.

i have no idea if my ancestors were slave owners but even if they were i would certainly not feel the need to apologise for it. If your kids do wrong would you apologise for them? no, you would make them do it!!!

slavery in any form is wrong, but we must'nt forget the inhuman atroricites going on in africa today. if more people left the past where it belongs and spoke out against things that are happening RIGHT NOW the world would be a better place.