The history of the rise, progress, and accomplishment of the abolition of the African slave-trade by the British Parliament / by Thomas Clarkson Clarkson, Thomas, , English, Book; Illustrated, 1 & Online (access conditions) [S.l.: s.n.], pages, , English, Book, 1 & Online (access conditions).
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One notable example where church mission activities in the Caribbean were directly supported by the proceeds of slave ownership was under the terms of a charitable bequest in to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. In the first decade of ownership, several hundred slaves at the plantation estates were branded on their chests, using the traditional red hot iron, with the word Society , to signify their ownership by the Christian organisation. Slave ownership at the Codrington Plantations only finally came to an end in , when slavery in British Empire was abolished.
The Church of England has since apologised for the "sinfulness of our predecessors" with the history of these plantation estates highlighted as example of the church's inconsistent approach to slavery. In the Synod of Gangra in Armenia condemned certain Manicheans for a list of twenty practices including forbidding marriage, not eating meat, urging that slaves should liberate themselves, abandoning their families, asceticism and reviling married priests.
Saint Augustine described slavery as being against God's intention and resulting from sin.
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John Chrysostom described slavery as 'the fruit of covetousness, of degradation, of savagery Moreover, quoting partly from Paul the Apostle, Chrysostom opposed unfair and unjust forms of slavery by giving these instructions to those who owned slaves: And this is the glory of a Master, that He should thus love His slaves Let us therefore be stricken with awe at this so great love of Christ. Let us be inflamed with this love-potion. Though a man be low and mean, yet if we hear that he loves us, we are above all things warmed with love towards him, and honor him exceedingly.
And do we then love? And when our Master loves us so much, we are not excited? Several early figures, while not openly advocating abolition, did make sacrifices to emancipate or free slaves seeing liberation of slaves as a worthy goal. In the Eastern Roman Byzantine Empire, a shift in the view of slavery is notieced, which by the 10th century transformed gradually a slave-object into a slave-subject. Thus, the Christian perception of slavery weakened the submission of slave to his earthly master by strengthening the ties of man to his God.
During the 13th Century, St. Thomas Aquinas taught that, although the subjection of one person to another servitus was not part of the primary intention of the natural law, it was appropriate and socially useful in a world impaired by original sin. He takes the patristic theme There should be no punishment without some crime, so slavery as a penalty is a matter of positive law. Bede Jarrett , O. Nevertheless, for several decades spanning the late 15th and early 16th centuries, several popes explicitly endorsed the slavery of non-Christians.
Barbarity began at home
In response, the pope authorized King Alfonso V of Portugal to "attack, conquer, and subjugate Saracens , pagans and other enemies of Christ wherever they may be found Enrique IV of Castile threatened war and Afonso V appealed to the Pope to support monopolies on the part of any particular Christian state able to open trade with a particular, non-Christian region or countries.
In effect, the two bulls issued by Nicholas V conceded to subjects of Christian countries the religious authority to acquire as many slaves from non-Christians as they wished, by force or trade. During the Reconquista of the late 15th century, many Muslims and Jews were enslaved in Iberia especially after the Castilian-Aragonese victory in the Granada War of — In — after denunciations of slavery by Fr.
Falkowski, Sublimus Dei "had the effect of revoking" Inter Caetera , but left intact the "duty" of colonists , i.
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Subsequent bulls [ vague ] and encyclicals [ vague ] from several popes condemned both slavery and the slave trade. Although some abolitionists opposed slavery for purely philosophical reasons, anti-slavery movements attracted strong religious elements. Throughout Europe and the United States, Christians, usually from 'un-institutional' Christian faith movements, not directly connected with traditional state churches, or " non-conformist " believers within established churches, were to be found at the forefront of the abolitionist movements.
In particular, the effects of the Second Great Awakening resulted in many evangelicals working to see the theoretical Christian view, that all people are essentially equal, made more of a practical reality. Freedom of expression within the Western world also helped in enabling opportunity to express their position. Prominent among these abolitionists was Parliamentarian William Wilberforce in England, who wrote in his diary when he was 28 that, "God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the Slave Trade and Reformation of Morals.
The famous English preacher Charles Spurgeon had some of his sermons burned in America due to his censure of slavery, calling it "the foulest blot" and which "may have to be washed out in blood. Finney preached that slavery was a moral sin, and so supported its elimination. In my prayers and preaching, I so often alluded to slavery, and denounced it. Quakers in particular were early leaders in abolitionism. By British Quakers had expressed their official disapproval of the slave trade.
In the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade was formed, with 9 of the 12 founder members being Quakers. During the same year, William Wilberforce was persuaded to take up their cause; as an MP, Wilberforce was able to introduce a bill to abolish the slave trade.
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Wilberforce first attempted to abolish the trade in , but could only muster half the necessary votes; however, after transferring his support to the Whigs , it became an election issue. Abolitionist pressure had changed popular opinion, and in the election enough abolitionists entered parliament for Wilberforce to be able to see the passing of the Slave Trade Act The Royal Navy subsequently declared that the slave trade was equal to piracy, the West Africa Squadron choosing to seize ships involved in the transfer of slaves and liberate the slaves on board, effectively crippling the transatlantic trade.
In the United States, the abolition movement faced much opposition. Bertram Wyatt-Brown notes that the appearance of the Christian abolitionist movement "with its religious ideology alarmed newsmen, politicians, and ordinary citizens. They angrily predicted the endangerment of secular democracy, the mongrelization, as it was called, of white society, and the destruction of the federal union.
Mob violence sometimes ensued. Wright - sent bundles of tracts and newspapers over , to prominent clerical, legal, and political figures throughout the whole country, and culminated in massive demonstrations throughout the North and South. Despite such determined opposition, many Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian members freed their slaves and sponsored black congregations, in which many black ministers encouraged slaves to believe that freedom could be gained during their lifetime. After a great revival occurred in at Cane Ridge, Kentucky, American Methodists made anti-slavery sentiments a condition of church membership.
Cheever, [] used the Bible, logic and reason extensively in contending against the institution of slavery, and in particular the chattel form of it as seen in the South. Other Protestant missionaries of the Great Awakening initially opposed slavery in the South, but by the early decades of the 19th century, many Baptist and Methodist preachers in the South had come to an accommodation with it in order to evangelize the farmers and workers. Disagreements between the newer way of thinking and the old often created schisms within denominations at the time. Differences in views toward slavery resulted in the Baptist and Methodist churches dividing into regional associations by the beginning of the Civil War.
Roman Catholic statements also became increasingly vehement against slavery during this era. In the Bull of Canonization of Peter Claver , one of the most illustrious adversaries of slavery, Pope Pius IX branded the "supreme villainy" summum nefas of the slave traders; []. Roman Catholic efforts extended to the Americas. With the black abolitionist Charles Lenox Remond , and the temperance priest Theobold Mathew , he organized a petition with 60, signatures urging the Irish of the United States to support abolition.
O'Connell also spoke in the United States for abolition. Preceding such, and while not explicitly expressing an abolitionist point of view, the Portuguese Dominican Gaspar da Cruz in strongly criticized the Portuguese traffic in Chinese slaves, explaining that any arguments by the slave traders that they "legally" purchased already-enslaved children were bogus. In , the Roman Catholic Church's Canon Law was officially expanded to specify that "selling a human being into slavery or for any other evil purpose" is a crime.
Pope Francis was one of the prominent religious leaders who came together in the Vatican, 2 December , with the aim of eliminating modern slavery and human trafficking. During a ceremony held in the seat of the Pontifical Academy for Sciences in the Vatican they signed a Declaration of Religious Leaders against Slavery. In his address Pope Francis said:. Inspired by our confessions of faith, we are gathered here today for an historical initiative and to take concrete action: The physical, economic, sexual and psychological exploitation of men, women and children that is currently inflicted on tens of millions of people constitutes a form of dehumanization and humiliation.
Every human being, man women, boy and girl, is made in God's image. God is the love and freedom that is given in interpersonal relationships, and every human being is a free person destined to live for the good of others in equality and fraternity. Every person, and all people, are equal and must be accorded the same freedom and the same dignity. Any discriminatory relationship that does not respect the fundamental conviction that others are equal is a crime, and frequently an aberrant crime. Therefore, we declare on each and every one of our creeds that modern slavery, in terms of human trafficking, forced labor and prostitution, and organ trafficking, is a crime against humanity Passages in the Bible on the use and regulation of slavery have been used throughout history as justification for the keeping of slaves, and for guidance in how it should be done.
Therefore, when abolition was proposed, some Christians spoke vociferously against it, citing the Bible's acceptance of slavery as 'proof' that it was part of the normal condition. George Whitefield , famed for his sparking of the Great Awakening of American evangelicalism, campaigned, in the Province of Georgia , for the legalisation of slavery, [] [] joining the ranks of the slave owners that he had denounced in his earlier years, while contending they had souls and opposing mistreatment and owners who resisted his evangelism of slaves.
He bought enslaved Africans to work on his plantation and the orphanage he established in Georgia. Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon inherited these slaves and kept them in bondage. In both Europe and the United States some Christians went further, arguing that slavery was actually justified by the words and doctrines of the Bible. Historian Claude Clegg writes that at the time of the Second Great Awakening , there was a movement to create a narrative of a mutually beneficial relationship between slaves and masters.
This was increasingly tied to the doctrine of the Church as a means of justifying the system of slavery. In , southerners in the Presbyterian denomination joined forces with conservative northerners to drive the antislavery New School Presbyterians out of the denomination. In , the Methodist Episcopal Church split into northern and southern wings over the issue of slavery. In , the Baptists in the South formed the Southern Baptist Convention due to disputes with Northern Baptists over slavery and missions. Some members of fringe Christian groups like the Christian Identity movement, the Ku Klux Klan an organization dedicated to the "empowerment of the white race" , and Aryan Nations still argue that slavery is justified by Christian doctrine today.
The Christianisation of Europe in the Early Middle Ages saw the traditional slavery disappearing in Europe and being replaced with feudalism. In contrast to the British colonies, following , the Spanish government of Florida offered freedom to escaped slaves who made it into their territory and converted to Catholicism. This offer was repeated multiple times. Civil Rights movement in the 20th century was founded in part on the same religious ideas that had been used to justify slavery in the 19th century.
Slavery was by no means relegated to the continental United States, as in addition to vast numbers of Native Americans slaves, it is estimated that for every slave who went to North America, South America imported nearly twelve slaves, with the West Indies importing over ten. The introduction of Catholic Spanish colonies to the Americas resulted in, indentured servitude and even slavery to the indigenous peoples. Some Portuguese and Spanish explorers were quick to enslave the indigenous peoples encountered in the New World.
The Papacy was firmly against this practice. In Pope Eugene IV issued an attack against slavery in the papal bull Sicut Dudum that included the excommunication of all those who engage in the slave trade. Paul characterized enslavers as allies of the devil and declared attempts to justify such slavery "null and void.
The exalted God loved the human race so much that He created man in such a condition that he was not only a sharer in good as are other creatures, but also that he would be able to reach and see face to face the inaccessible and invisible Supreme Good Seeing this and envying it, the enemy of the human race, who always opposes all good men so that the race may perish, has thought up a way, unheard of before now, by which he might impede the saving word of God from being preached to the nations. He Satan has stirred up some of his allies who, desiring to satisfy their own avarice, are presuming to assert far and wide that the Indians And they reduce them to slavery, treating them with afflictions they would scarcely use with brute animals Rather they are to be able to use and enjoy this liberty and this ownership of property freely and licitly, and are not to be reduced to slavery In , Mexican Catholic Priest Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla , who is also the Father of the Mexican nation, declared slavery abolished, but it was not official until the War of Independence finished.
In Brazil became the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery completely, although in it had ensured that eventual result with the gradualist method of freeing in the womb. Slaves in the 18th century came from various African societies, cultures, and nations, such as the Igbo , Ashanti and Yoruba on the West African Coast.
Slaves from differing ethnic groups displayed few religious commonalities, despite coming from the same continent and ethnicity; those sold to American slavers shared little of their traditional cultures and religions. Ibo, Yoruba, and Ashanti religious practices did not survive in slave communities in the United States. The institution of slavery, with its high conversion rate, ultimately eliminated traditional African religions in the country. Christianity has existed for so long in Africa most notably in Ethiopia that it is considered by some scholars as an "indigenous, traditional and African religion," [] though it was nonetheless a minority faith in the continent as a whole.
In the USA, where most slaves came from the less Christian West-African coast, conversion of slaves to Christianity was common, but still an open question, with some slave owners resisting conversion on the grounds that if slaves seeing themselves as spiritually equal would encourage the growth of an abolitionist movement. Others promoted conversion, many under the belief that allowing conversions would make for better slaves. While many Americans argued that there existed no discrepancy between the enslavement of Africans and their Christian beliefs, as time passed a growing number of citizens and slaves argued that Christian religious principles directly conflicted with the institution of slavery.
While these changes did occur in mainstream Christian thinking, many argue that this does not imply an innocence on the part of Christian religious institutions: Harvard Divinity School's Jacob K. Olupona states that "Christianity was deeply culpable in the African slave trade, inasmuch as it consistently provided a moral cloak for the buying and selling of human beings. In addition, some missionaries and clergymen wrote of the indifference of masters to their own religious welfare.
Former slave Wash Wilson recalled:. Sometimes us sing and pray all night. The first African slaves arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, in , when a Dutch slave trader bartered his African 'cargo' for food. These Africans became indentured servants , possessing a legal position similar to many poor Englishmen. Additionally, "New World slavery was a unique conjunction of features. Its use of slaves was strikingly specialized as unfree labor-producing commodities, such as cotton and sugar, for a world market.
For the most part, the Pilgrims who had settled at Plymouth, Massachusetts, in had servants and not slaves, meaning that after turning 25 years old most black servants were offered their freedom, which was a contractual arrangement similar to that of English apprenticeships. Opposition to slavery in the United States predates the nation's independence. Island of Jamaica , Hill, Richard. Memoir of William Knibb: The Life of Edward John Eyre: Lewis, Lunan and Jones, A Treatise on the Fevers of Jamaica , Jamaica. Proceedings of the Hon.
House of Assembly of Jamaica on the sugar and slave-trade, in a session which began the 23rd of October, Stephen Fuller, Agent for Jamaica, An historical Account of the Sessions of Assembly, for … Jamaica: Containing a vindication of … C. Knowles … then Governor of that Island, etc. The Speech of W. A new and exact account of Jamaica … With a particular account of the sacrifices, libations, etc.
Christian views on slavery
Journal of a West-India Proprietor: Kept During a Residence in the Island of Jamaica. The History of Jamaica Vol. Hampton Plantation Account Book, — Page 68 - http: Prior to the Civil War, slave states had laws forbidding literacy for the enslaved. Thus, by emancipation, only a small percentage of African Americans knew how to read and write.
There was such motivation in the African American community, however, and enough good will among white and black teachers, that by the turn of the twentieth century the majority of African Americans could read and write. Many teachers commented that their classrooms were filled with both young and old, grandfathers with their children and grandchildren, all eager to learn.
Northern teachers, many of whom were white women, traveled into the South to provide education and training for the newly freed population. Schools from the elementary level through college provided a variety of opportunities, from the rudiments of reading and writing and various types of basic vocational training to classics, arts, and theology. This school in Richmond shows women of color learning the fine points of sewing.
The Fifteenth Amendment to the U. Constitution, ratified March 30, , provided that all male citizens were entitled to vote. Because the black population was so large in many parts of the South, whites were fearful of their participation in the political process. Nevertheless, the Radical Republicans in the U.
Congress were determined that African Americans be accorded all of the rights of citizenship. A series of tours by the Fisk Jubilee Singers was one of the most important factors in the spread of the spiritual. The first tour in was to raise money for Fisk University. It was the hearing of these spirituals as sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers that first made general audiences conscious of their beauty.
The first collection of the Fisk Singers' spirituals was published in An expanded and reset collection appeared in as an appendix to a history of the Jubilee Singers. These editions, which were sold as souvenirs at concerts, spread the spirituals in print as the Jubilee Singers themselves spread them in performance.
This publication includes only a single spiritual sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers, although the Library's music collections include many recordings of the Singers, as well as published music. Music Division , Library of Congress 5— Established in April Education among the Freedmen , ca. Because blacks in South Carolina vastly outnumbered whites, the newly-enfranchised voters were able to send so many African American representatives to the state assembly that they outnumbered the whites.
Many were able legislators who worked to rewrite the state constitution and pass laws ensuring aid to public education, universal male franchise, and civil rights for all. In order to regulate the activities of newly freed African Americans, national, state, and local governments developed a body of laws relating to them.
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Some laws were for their protection, particularly those relating to labor contracts, but others circumscribed their citizenship rights. This volume, compiled by the staff of General Oliver O. Howard, the director of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands—usually called the Freedmen's Bureau—provides a digest of these laws in ten of the former Confederate states up to Laws in Relation to Freedmen, U. Law Library , Library of Congress 5— Bruce and Hiram Revels, both of Mississippi. Heroes of the Colored Race. Constitution gave the vote to all male citizens regardless of color or previous condition of servitude.
African Americans became involved in the political process not only as voters but also as governmental representatives at the local, state and national level. Although their elections were often contested by whites, and members of the legislative bodies were usually reluctant to receive them, many African American men ably served their country during Reconstruction. Pictured here are Senator Hiram R.