Ham In The Early Modern Er The Justification Of Slavery

Slave owners in America until 1865 used religion, specifically Christianity and stories from the Bible, in order to justify slavery in America and the moral qualms that came with owning a human being as property. This essay will take a look at how slave owners and those who held pro-slavery views justified their actions, from a moral and political but mostly religious standpoint. While abolitionists drew on religion when arguing against slavery, slave owners also drew on religion when justifying their actions. The biblical story of the curse of Ham, Noah’s son, in Genesis 9 will be explored as a frequently referenced story perpetuating the justification of slavery, along with other biblical verses and rhetoric. David M. Whitford, in his book The Curse of Ham in the Early Modern Era: The Bible and the Justifications for Slavery discusses how the biblical story in Genesis, wherein Noah curses his son Ham and Ham’s descendants, has been used throughout history to justify serfdom and slavery, and how eventually famous later medieval

After Ham sees his father Noah drunk and naked one night, Ham does something to his father, although to this day it is still argued what is actually done to Noah. One loose theory is that Ham actually curses Noah, and this is why Noah curses Ham and Ham’s descendants. Regardless, this biblical curse has been used throughout history to justify slavery. A bible quote that stands out as an example of an adamant pro-slavery stance and what was used as ‘holy’ slavery justification is 1 Peter 2: 18 : “Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.” This is one of the many bible quotes that slave owners had to rely upon to justify their ways. Quotes like these were used by many American slaveholder’s during the Plantation Era to justify their ownership of slaves. This is one of the most harmful outcomes of