Article 3: The REal History of Slavery
Misconception: Slavery is only an issue between American whites and blacks.
Arguments:
- Slavery has existed throughout human history, and continues to afflict certain parts of the world to this day.
- By narrowing our perspective of slavery to "one race, in one country during three centuries," politicians have inaccurately portrayed history in order to make the white race seem singularly responsible for the institution of slavery.
- Playing off this white guilt allows many politicians to further their own political agendas.
“Why would anyone wish to arbitrarily understate an evil that plagued mankind for thousands of years, unless it was not this evil itself that was the real concern, but rather the present-day uses of that historic evil? Clearly, the ability to score ideological points against American society or Western civilization, or to induce guilt and thereby extract benefits from the white population today, are greatly enhanced by making enslavement appear to be a peculiarly American, or a peculiarly white, crime.” (111)
Arguments:
- Slavery has existed throughout human history, and continues to afflict certain parts of the world to this day.
- By narrowing our perspective of slavery to "one race, in one country during three centuries," politicians have inaccurately portrayed history in order to make the white race seem singularly responsible for the institution of slavery.
- Playing off this white guilt allows many politicians to further their own political agendas.
“Why would anyone wish to arbitrarily understate an evil that plagued mankind for thousands of years, unless it was not this evil itself that was the real concern, but rather the present-day uses of that historic evil? Clearly, the ability to score ideological points against American society or Western civilization, or to induce guilt and thereby extract benefits from the white population today, are greatly enhanced by making enslavement appear to be a peculiarly American, or a peculiarly white, crime.” (111)