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A Brief History Of Slavery In The United States

1008 Words5 Pages

Background: To understand the history of slavery in the United States the historical background needs examining. How did the slaves get from Africa the new country? Why were the people brought here? What purpose did slavery serve? Only three percent of the international slave trade arrived in the new colonies. Many African was sold into slavery because their family owed a debt and they had no other means to pay for it. Sometimes an individual voluntarily enter into a service contract, so they can pay off debt. Furthermore the individual would work for a specified period then eventually gain their freedom. When the first Africans slaves came to the new colonies they operated under a similar arrangement. “ these first African arrival, Angolan …show more content…

(Medved 2008) Depending on the slave owner this system work but not always because the debt would be so high that a family or individual had no way to repay it. “For generations, the British settlement did little to codify or clarify the status of African many whom continued to toil like white indentured servants”. (Medved 2008) Initially slavery was a form of repayment, the debtor would work and the debt would be forgiven. The slave owning states use the bible as way to justify involuntarily servitude.
Justification for Slavery
Since God place a cursed on Cain and Noah cursed Ham the south use this and literal meaning of the biblical slavery to justify the practice in the United States. There countless bible verses that addresses slavery, so the southerners took this as an endorsement of slavery. “The emphasis from proslavery defenders was always upon a literal reading of the Bible which represented the mind and will of God himself. Slaveholding was not only justified but also moral because it was recognized as such in Holy Scripture.” (Morrison n.d.) During this time many people on the lower side of the socioeconomic were illiterate so they …show more content…

The following passages were used to combat the proslavery use of the bible because they believe the type of slavery happening in the United States was different from what the bible referred to. They believed having generation born into slavery and never having a chance to earn their freedom was morally reprehensive able and wrong. Furthermore they believed Christians should not take part in this practice. Exodus “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death. Deuteronomy 23:15-16 “You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him. Proverbs 14:31 whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors

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