Let me now discuss the main contributors to abolishing slavery. It is possible to define slavery in different ways depending on the time.
A person who is wholly or partially owned by another person; a bond slave.
A person who is totally controlled by some person or influence
Slavery is the practice of having slaves.
But what exactly is slavery? Slavery is the practice of forcing people to do labor. Because they are treated as property, slaves can’t make their own decisions regarding their work. Slave owners often make it difficult for them to follow their instructions. Slaves could be women, men, or young children. Before the United States gained independence in 1783 and became an independent nation, Africans had to be brought to America as slaves. After the Civil War ended, slavery was still a part American society. While there were plenty of slaves all over the country, the South had many more. Southern farmers and plantation owners relied heavily upon slave labor to maintain their economies. Southern economies relied heavily on cotton and tobacco crops. Because of the many people involved in planting and harvesting, it was difficult for them to be grown. The North’s economy relied more heavily on industry and manufacturing. The North’s low dependence on slave labor made it possible to eliminate slavery over time. This isn’t a satisfactory explanation for how slavery was eradicated. The end of slavery in America and other nations was similar. Abolitionists included both African Americans and whites who worked to abolish slavery. Despite sharing the same goal they used different methods. John Brown, an abolitionist who believed slavery could be abolished only through force, was one example. Brown claimed that slavery was violent and that violence was required to eradicate it. Frederick Douglass was a former slave who used his writing and speech skills to protest slavery. William Lloyd Garrison founded the American Anti-Slavery Society and started a weekly anti-slavery newspaper. Harriet Tubman, another former slave, helped others slaves by using the Underground Railroad. This was a secret network which helped slaves escape to Northern states. No matter how you approach ending slavery, being abolitionist is dangerous. Pro-slavery activists often attack them. The Civil War having ripped apart the country, President Abraham Lincoln issued in 1863 the Emancipation Proclamation. Although it did nothing to end slavery it did say that Southern states must return to the Union if they want their slaves to be free. It also stated that African-American soldiers can join the Union army to fight in war. Some abolitionists thought this was too weak. It seemed more like a strategy for war than an effort to abolish slavery. But, Lincoln couldn’t end slavery by himself. Only the Constitution’s amendment could make slavery end. The amendment had to be passed by Congress and not President Lincoln. At least three-fourths must then agree to it. The 13th Amendment was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865. It was voted for 119 to 56. The amendment demanded the end of slavery in the United States. However, it had to be passed by Congress on January 31, 1865 by a vote of 119 to 56. It was ratified by Illinois the following day. However, it would take nearly one year to obtain the three-fourths majority required to amend the Constitution. It was finally completed on December 6, 1865. Georgia was the 27th state that ratified the 13th Amendment. Slavery was then officially abolished. Twelve days later, almost one million slaves from African America were freed. To fully comprehend the reasons slavery was abolished, we need to understand its morality. Allow me to explain why slavery was so terrible. First, Africans were taken from their homes, villages, communities, tribes, continents, and freedom. Africans were forced by chains to walk hundreds miles. Many of them were beaten, neglected and abused. Routinely, girls and women were raped. The entire continent was destroyed and continues to suffer today. This is horrible, Mr. Barkley. Second, slave dungeons were used to keep Africans in slavery for several weeks or even months before they could be freed. Many of them were severely malnourished, beaten and raped. They couldn’t even move because they were so tightly packed together. African people were often confined to tiny spaces on ships’ holds, unable to move. They did their bodily functions in the place they were lying and lived there. They were frequently beaten and raped. Many of them died from illness and depressed spirits. Some of them were so traumatized they fell overboard and drowned while being carried to the decks. Millions of people died in the Middle Passage between Africa and the Americas. This is terrible, Mr. Barkley. Third, Africans suffered from the same fate as wild animals. They were stripped from all their identities. They were identified by name. They were also taken from their languages. Their religions were also taken. Their histories were also taken. They were prohibited from having family. They didn’t have the right to possess anything. They were considered to be property. Their personalities were forever altered. They were deprived of liberty. They were turned into “slave block” chattel. We are still affected by this crushing identity. It is called the psychology of oppression. This is terrible, Mr. Barkley. Fourth, African Americans were referred to as “kin to couldn’t”, meaning they worked from the “can see” morning to the “can not see night.” Their long and hard work was not paid. Many of them were not well fed. The whip lash was felt by most. All felt it. Many were repeatedly subject to rape. Children and loved ones of these women were often sold at will. To avoid the horrors of slavery, some mothers murdered their daughters. This is terrible, Mr. Barkley. Fifth, African Americans were not allowed to defend their rights no matter how wrongfully done. Their abusers could not be challenged by them, and they were prohibited from testifying against them under the law. Roger B. Toney, the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1857 Dreds Scott case, said that “A Black person has no rights that a White man is bound to respect.” This was the law and it still haunts us. This is terrible, Mr. Barkley. Sixth, African Americans are treated and perceived as subhuman. It was impossible for enslavers to reconcile their horrific treatment with Christian beliefs. They saw us as less human than they were. They could therefore proudly quote such lovely words from the Declaration of Independence as well as the U.S. Constitution without any hesitation: “We believe that these truths are self-evident. We hold that all men were created equal. That their creator has granted them certain inalienable Rights. These rights include life, liberty, happiness.
These beautiful words didn’t apply to them because they thought African Americans weren’t human. Three-fifths of an individual is what the U.S. Constitution defines us to be. We can be killed without being punished by white terrorists dressed in uniforms. We still live in the legacy that we are less human. Black lives are much more valuable than white ones. This is terrible, Mr. Barkley. Seventh, the implementation and maintenance of the worst human slavery known required a lot of violence. It required violence from enslavers, slave-catchers, local, federal, and state governments as well as the entire society. Slavery was a system that created an extremely violent society which we still have today. It is because of this that the United States has the highest level of violence among all countries. This, Mr. Barkley is extremely, very serious. Eighth: We still have Jim Crow, even though slavery has been officially ended. These same inequalities led to state-sanctioned terror for more than 100 years. The Ku Klux Klan along with other terrorist organizations were hanged, mutilated or maimed without any punishment. Because the “state,” didn’t do anything, it was state-sanctioned terrorism. This is why it took so long for justice to be done even during Civil Rights Movement. Look at Medgar Evers and James Chaney’s deaths, as well as the four girls who were killed in the bombing attack on a Black Birmingham Church. Trayvon Mart couldn’t even walk around his neighborhood today. Jordan Davis couldn’t listen to loud music in a car. Eric Garner was also choked to death. Michael Brown was also gunned down. This is very, extremely bad. Here are some universal human rights: Article 1, Universal Declaration of Human Rights. All humans are born equal in dignity, rights and freedom. They have the ability to reason and feel and should be open-minded and friendly towards each other. Article 3, Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Everyone has the right of life and liberty. Article 4 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Nobody shall be kept in slavery or servitude. The slave trade and slavery shall be banned in all forms. Another argument could be made that slavery is justified. There are many differences in people. We should expect that those who have the ability to fight and are more intelligent than others will be able to master those who are less capable. Abraham Lincoln made the following statement during his 1858 debate with Senator Stephen Douglas. Because they cannot live together, their position must be one of superiority or inferior. As such, I would support the white race to have the superior position.
Slavery is a fact of life. This is the reason for the logic fallacy argumentumad antiquitatem, which refers to the argument against antiquity and tradition. It is often persuasive, particularly for conservatives. Nonconservatives may give it weight on quasi-Hayekian grounds that even though we don’t understand the reasons a social institution continues to exist, its persistence could be rooted in a logic that we are still trying to comprehend. Slavery is a fundamental part of every society. Slavery is a fundamental part of all societies. People consider the institution’s pervasiveness to be proof of its necessity. According to one theory, slavery exists in every society because certain types of work require a lot of effort and are difficult for many people. Without slaves these jobs will not be possible. According to the Old South, the mud sill must be filled by someone, and people of good will cannot tolerate this role. Slave owners are incapable of caring for themselves. This idea was popularized in America in the late 1800s and early 1900s by individuals such as George Washington. They considered slavery to be morally unacceptable, but still kept slaves. They also used them to obtain personal services, income, and products that these “servants”, or as they preferred to refer to them, were compelled produce. It would be cruel for people to be set free, and they would, at best, suffer in poverty and suffering. Slave owners will never be able to free them. This idea goes beyond the original. Many people still believed this even after slavery was abolished by the United States in 1865. Northern journalists reporting from the South during the war said that the black population was on the verge of extinction because of the high death and low birth rates, as well as their poor economic situation. Some observers said that the liberated people were too incompetent or lazy to act in a way that would benefit their group’s survival. (See my 1977 publication Competition and Coercion. Blacks and American Economy 1865-1914.
The common people are more fortunate than slaves when they have their freedom. In the years before the War Between the States, this argument was popular in the South. George Fitzhugh (proslavery writer) was the main proponent of this argument. His book titles speak for itself: Sociology of South (1854), Cannibals All! (1857), and Slaves Without Masters (1857). Fitzhugh may have borrowed some of his ideas from Thomas Carlyle (a Scottish reactionary writer who is racist and racially charged). This antebellum view is still evident in the expression “wageslave”. Fitzhugh believed that slavery should be extended to white working-class people in America, as it was good for their benefit. Slavery would lead to great bloodshed and other negative consequences. Many Americans assumed that slaveholders would not allow the end of the slavery system without fighting for its preservation. Yes, there was bloodshed and other evils that followed the war between the Union and Confederacy. Many believed that these terrible events would validate their opposition to abolition. (They apparently forgot that slavery was eliminated in every other Western Hemisphere country except Haiti without any large-scale violence.
The former slaves would be free to steal, rape, kill, and cause mayhem without slavery. Slavery cannot be abolished because of the preservation of society. Southerners feared slave rebellions. The situation in Northerners’ own regions was already too bad for them in the mid-19th century, due to the large influx of Irishmen in the 1840s, 1850s. Social chaos would almost certainly be wrought by the inclusion of blacks, who the Irish disliked. It is absurdly utopian to try and abolish slavery. It is not worth the time of serious people to think about such absurd ideas. A better solution is to provide sufficient food, shelter and entertainment to slaves. Encourage them to see the brighter future ahead. This life is not fair or just, but everyone can dream of Paradise. Numerous people once considered the above reasons valid grounds to oppose the abolishment of slavery. In retrospect, though, these arguments seem to be shabby.
