Is slavery really such a bad thing?

Question

Without slavery many of us would still be in Africa suffering with poverty, short lifespan, AIDS, etc. Janette Jackson and Bill Cosby (African American heroes) would never be known without slavery. I guess that the old history books condemning slavery didn't really have a grasp of the entire picture. FFT

As an American History major at UCLA I am learning that slavery enriched the African race. It was once called slavery but that word isn't relevant any longer and that it should be called the "life worker program." My textbook argues that the quality of life today is better in the United States than in Africa say for instance Ethiopia and further that people like Janette Jackson or Bill Cosby could not have reached the same status that they appreciate in the United States back in Africa.

You would be ignoring the facts if you thought that life in Africa (dying young, AIDS, African slavery, poverty) was better than life in America.

Hi!!!
Are you ignorant? Ethiopia was never colonized. What about the hospitals that Europeans built in Africa or the Billions of dollars that America sends to Africa to fight AIDS. Do you even have an education? Don't bring that ignorant trash in here!

Answer 1

if slavery was so bad, why did the slaves turn down free passage back home(10 % took it)? if it was so bad on them, why did 80% of them stay at the plantations when they were freed and COULD have left there? look at it from my peoples point of view. my people were not made to be slaves, no that was to good for them, my people were SLAUGHTERED. look at what was done to the American Indians. and the slaves, do you REALLY think a few bad WHITE men went in and just TOOK them? NO NO they were SOLD to the bad ole white men by their OWN PEOPLE. at least 80% of slaves were SOLD to the SLAVE TRADERS. the slavery issue only came up in the civil war to keep Lincolns ratings up for re-election. slavery may very well have been a blessing for today's black people. other wise they would have been just plain ole descendants of black immigrants. they there fore would be just like the Irish for an example. sense modern blacks have the history of slavery, they have a woe-me syndrome to use. at least they were not murdered by the army by the thousands, given blankets infected with small pox, shot in middle of night by the army. in fact their lives were saved by slavery, if you really stop and think about it. my great grand mother was a black Cherokee, she used to tell us there was a time it was better to be black than Indian, and during ww2 it was better to be German than Indian. i been in restaurants that would rather have a dog with the mange in it than an Indain. think about it. something else to think about, this came from a man whom is NOT RACEIST.

Answer 2

I'm not sure if you're joking or not.

Good things can come out of evil, but that does not justify evil. Slavery wasn't necessary in the development of the world. Why could others not have done the work of slaves? Why did it have to be done in such an inhumane, backbreaking way? Because people are selfish and self centered. If slavery had not been employed as the means to progress then other, more civilized means could have thrived. Africans could have willingly gone to other places and explored/traveled/discovered like other races/peoples/countries.

Slavery is still damaging today because there is still antagonism between whites and blacks--I live in Memphis and I see it all the time. Nothing would ever totally get rid of it, and there still would have been some tension/prejudice, etc. weather there had been slavery or not. But make no mistake, slavery still has a negative affect on race relations in the U.S. Centuries of repression have not been undone in the few decades since the apex of the Civil Rights movement.

I don't have loads of time to write, and maybe I'll edit this later, but for now, suffice it to say that I don't believe that slavery was/is good for anything. It is about human dignity and the lack of respect for it. Any benefit that came out of it was due to people adjusting to the evils of slavery, and could have come about without slavery.

Answer 3

You touched on a controvercial topic here, I hope you are ready. Slavery up until it was outlawed in the United States was widely accepted in the South. Infact, the South went to war over the issue (even if it was masked by the "issues" of states rights, economy, etc. It all hat slavery at it's roots). Most of the people in the Northern states were against slavery, but not outright abolitionists, slavery wouldn't have been illegal in those states otherwise. The root of the issue was a different interpretation of the Bible. The North kept turning to the "be kind to your fellow man" stories, etc. The South noted the times in the old and new Testaments where slavery was shown. Especially in the Old when the Israelites took the Philistines as slaves after they defeated them in a battle. You had very religious people on both sides of the spectrum, anti-slavery people included Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee. The pro-slavery side included people like Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. Today, history text books, teachers, and experts all say that slavery was bad. It WAS. However, in the long run, those slaves who lived to have children and to be freed, they did have better lives than their bretheren in Africa, and their descendents had and have better lives than those in Africa. You have to realize though, if it hadn't been for slavery and Imperialization, those wouldn't even be problems in Africa. AIDS might be a problem, but poverty is in the eyes of the beholder. We look at Africa and say look at those poverty stricken souls, but if we (Europeans) hadn't interfered, opposing tribes wouldn't be living in close quarters in the cities we created. Those tribes would still be living as tribes and making war with spears and shields. Without European interference Africa would still be as it was when we started to meddle. What is a short lifespan anyway? Short by Western standards, but by African standards...? Don't say the history books aren't grasping the entire picture until you yourself have grasped the entire picture. To answer your question, slavery IS a bad thing. It helps African-Americans NOW, but when slavery was legal did the slaves think that slavery wasn't a bad thing? Of course not. They HATED being slaves. Hence all the uprisings and whatnot.

Answer 4

REDUCING someone to slavery is certainly extremely inhuman and cruel!! However, someone being a slave BY BIRTH would certainly cope much better with such a condition of existence. When Ancient Rome had to stop its military expansion, it started to resort massively to slave breeding!... It could be even argued that slavery could be somewhat "eugenic"... People would certainly breed slaves for beauty and intelligence: a good domestic slave would be both beautiful(for sex!...)and smart(for doing house work effectively). I cannot imagine slavery to be possibly brought back, in our current Democratic system of Values. However, slavery could very well be re-established in a future, authoritarian Society!... I believe many sci-fi novels have been written about this.

Answer 5

No, slavery has enriched the lives of the African Americans. The early American slavery in the South was far more humane than the slavery that was administered by Africans to Africans back in Africa. Lets face the facts America has a long history of treating people with the utmost dignity and respect. Anyone who says different is merely jealous or ignorant of history. You are right that most people are ignorant of the benefits to African Americans from slavery!

Answer 6

Well in a way your right. Not only would black Americans be effected if there were no slavery but all Americans would. You see slavery built up a a surplus in this nation. Imagine being able to build a nation for free. All you pay is room and board which in most cases you have them build themselves. This nation would not be what it is today if it wasn't for the free labor provided by Africans. It would be just another country and not a super power.

Answer 7

ANY slavery should have never existed....It did not just happen to African's.....

It IS such a bad thing! What people need to realize is that not all parts of Africa is not impoverished! There still would've been African heroes--maybe not through comedy or pop music--as listed above.....AND, I wouldn't exactly call these people heroes either, because they haven't made a big difference in Black Society.

Answer 8

you must not really know much about the history of slavery. You ask is slavery such a bad thing. Find out what slavery is and then ask yourself the question again and if you still feel the way you do I'm sure there are plenty of people that wouldn't mind having you as a slave.

Answer 9

It is true that these people would not have had the same lives without slavery but it can never be characterized as good. Many many people lost their lives or suffered horrible tragedys becuase of it and it was dehumanization to all people. There is no good aspect to it. ANd life is till not as good becuase there is still the threat of AIDS and poverty. I just cannot see the good aspects

Answer 10

Maybe you should read some history books about what life was like for those who had no choices. For those who lived in fear. For those whose children were taken from them before they even at times got to hold them. A child is better growing up in a poor village loved and nurtured by its mother and family than in a land where every decision made for it is based on the economic goals of its "owner".

Answer 11

The other question to ask is, would parts of Africa have started down that path if they had not lost tens of millions of people in their prime. No matter what benefits have come about because of slavery, it is very difficult to praise an institution that took away the basic rights of people.