In History

Slavery’s origins date back to before the existence of written human history. That says something about us as a species. There are numerous examples of the existence of slavery in what were deemed enlightening societies. For example, it’s difficult to read Cicero when 30% of Rome’s population were slaves which were the backbone of its economic power. Epictetus is obviously an exception given he was born a slave.

Closer to home, slavery absolutely existed. The Haida also dealt in slavery, primarily those captured during war. It is estimated that up to 25% of the Haida population consisted of slaves at various points in their history. Ironically, the practice would end with the passing of the 13th Amendment in the United States, with British Colonial authorities following suit, thus making the practice illegal in British Columbia.

Headquarters USA

That leads me to the United States and the greatest conflict ever to take place in the Western Hemisphere - the American Civil War.

While one must, apparently, prescribe to the delusion that State’s rights were the impetus of the Civil War, I do not.

State’s rights were a guise under which slave States professed to be culturally threatened by the north. That culture was one in which slavery was economically paramount. It might surprise you, but at the time the entire economic output of the south equaled less than that of just New York State alone.

In 1860 there were just under 400,000 slave holders in the United States. They controlled just under 4 million slaves. To be precise,  the population in the southern States in 1860 was approximately 4,700,000 free individuals and 3,245,000 slaves. Imagine just over one half of a population owning basically the other half.

Before continuing I should make something very clear. The majority of common soldiers that fought for the Confederacy did not own slaves. In fact, many lived in poverty. Their primary fault was believing in propaganda that the North wanted to change their culture, which, ironically, was part of a widespread infrastructure that enabled the protection of the institution of slavery. Sam Watkins wrote about that disparagement in his book, Company Aytch, after those who owned twenty slaves or more were excused from military service.

The Brilliance Of False Defence

While I believe Shelby Foote was a great storyteller, he was an absolutely skewed historian. Foote believed that the war produced two absolute geniuses, Abraham Lincoln and Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Nathan Bedford Forrest was responsible for the Fort Pillow massacre which today would, without any question, be prosecuted as a war crime. Even then it was looked into and also forced Grant to ultimately cancel the prisoner trade agreement given the slaughter of Black soldiers.

Forrest would go on to become a founder of the KKK and would live the rest of his life having never been held to account.

Lee

Today Robert E. Lee is considered historically untouchable. The foremost reason having to do with the reconciliation process at the end of the war. But that doesn’t mean Lee should not have been held to account.

Jefferson Davis was, of course, the primary exception. Captured near Irwinville, Georgia, on May 10th of 1865, he would spend two years imprisoned at Fort Monroe and then spend the rest of his life writing. Was Davis a racist? Absolutely.

But was Lee?

Thomas Jefferson attempted to address the issue of slavery, despite owning more than 80 slaves, he famously opined…

“But, as it is, we have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other."

The true connotation of the ending of that statement cannot be overstated. “And self preservation in the other.” Meaning slaves were considered economically and politically dangerous were they granted absolute freedom.

Prior to the war Lee would write a cousin regarding “property”…

"I wish to get an energetic honest farmer, who while he will be considerate and kind to the negroes, will be firm and make them do their duty."

The duty that African Americans had to endure was living in squalor, working 18 hours a day, suffering illnesses and the loss of children. Lee’s home at Arlington had sixty-three slaves prior to the war.

Sixty-three human beings.

Most historians claim that Lee was an upstanding and conscientious man that could not stand the insinuation of slavery.

That said, Lee fought to absolutely protect a nation whose identity was entirely immersed in slavery. I don’t care that he felt that his allegiance was to Virginia. One cannot call him a contentious man when the freedom of human beings was at stake. Lee fought against the principles of freedom and human dignity.

When thinking of Lee I am always drawn back to a quote by Henry Adams…

“I think that Lee should have been hanged. It was all the worse that he was a good man and a fine character and acted conscientiously. It’s always the good men who do the most harm in the world.”

The reality is that the Army of Northern Virginia fought to safeguard slavery, as did those Confederate armies in the west. While many members of those forces believed they were fighting for their freedom, the base reality is that they were fighting for the belief in a society based on the political protection of slavery. They viewed African Americans as non-humans, as wholly beneath them. To own a slave proves that point emphatically and it equally resounded in the overall culture. That said, there were definitely those in the South that disagreed with slavery - one great example being Newton Knight who, having initially fought for the South, led a rebellion against Confederate forces in Mississippi in Jones County. The legacy of that resistance, including his interracial relationship with a former enslaved woman, would lead to the formation of a mixed race community that would endure long after the war.

The 13th Amendment would be passed on December 6, 1865. It would abolish slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States for all time. That said, Jim Crow laws would substantially be passed in the South to maintain segregation, first beginning in the 1870’s. It would not be until the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 that segregation would become illegal, it opposing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

The Picture

The United States is not the only modern country to embrace slavery. During the 18th century Portugal, Britain, France, and the Dutch were the foremost nations that partook in the transatlantic slave trade.

Portugal would be the most prolific supplier of slaves in what is now Angola being its primary source. That said, it’s also important to remember that some African leaders sold their own people into slavery.

Of all nations, Britain was initially the worst. By the early 1700’s the Royal African Company had a great monopoly - the mere transport of slaves being immensely profitable. Having said that, the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 would result in freeing of some 800,000 slaves and would also established Canada as an absolute free territory for fugitive slaves fleeing the United States.

So some came to their senses while others would hold out as long as they could. But the base reality is that Africans, Asians, and others were considered sub-human, as were aboriginals obviously.

What Is Freedom?

Websters define freedom as follows…

“The absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action.”

“Liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another.”

Freedom is paramount and those who do not support it criminals.

Freedom, at its fullest, is in truth anarchistic - an ideological belief that supports the abolishment of all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or hierarchy.

Of course, the civil operation of society would be impossible under such an ideology.

That leaves us with the most successful societal form in history - social democracy. While some have their faults, social democracies are vastly more successful than others.

While the Constitution of the United States is genius in principle, it has deficiencies that have been corrupted. In my opinion its evolution has been significantly stifled and some of its amendments abused by Supreme Court rulings.

In Conclusion

First and foremost it’s important to study both the overall history of slavery and its massive historical impact in North America.

One cannot simply divorce themselves from history and claim is justified, or no longer problematic when African Americans continue to hold long standing feelings about slavery. Because were it not for slavery there would not be a significant African American population on the continent.

That’s simply the truth.