conclusion for slavery essay

conclusion for slavery essay

The Importance of Abolishing Slavery

1. Introduction

Slavery has become illegal after a long introduction. The battle is still being fought in some parts of the world, though it may not be unlawful there. Change, however, is a long and slow process. Today, slavery is simply hidden from plain view. Instead of being able to purchase a person in a public setting, now we must look for those silenced by trauma, working tirelessly for long hours and little to no pay.

Despite the ongoing efforts to eradicate modern slavery and human trafficking, it still remains deeply connected to our global economy and is a human rights issue that is inherently linked to national security. Since the conception of the Declaration of Independence of these United States, there has always been tension and a struggle between the supposed unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and the reality of African American slavery.

Slavery hinders free will and personal expression and takes away inherent human rights. As seen in today’s modern slavery, workers are promised a better life in a new location and then find themselves captive. Their wages are withheld and they become forced to work long hours in poor living conditions. Each form of slavery, however, has the identical impact on the psychological well-being of the enslaved. It creates a culture of inequality. Slavery creates levels among people; there will always be a master and a slave. This creates a social norm that slaves will be inferior and never rise to achieve anything more than their currently oppressed status. This was seen throughout the first half of the 20th century with African Americans. Though they were no longer slaves, they were marginalized and subjected to poverty and hardship. Today, this same form of social marginalization is being played out in third world countries. Slavery intertwines with the culture and forces it to remain in a static and oppressed condition.

2. Historical Background

Slavery has made a huge impact on the world; it has always been considered as a universal insult to humanity. These issues greatly contributed to the bulk of disastrous events that have taken place in our society. It is proven that among the major wars and calamities, slavery would be the root cause. A perfect example of this would be the African slavery; its very conception was due to the demand for cheap labor and resulted in a complete social breakdown of the African American race. It was a disaster on many levels; the sheer inhumane brutality and the defiance of one race simply because of an idea set by the superior race was a great wrong. This act of slavery has left a scar in our society so deep that there will still be prejudice of the African race. This issue has long been abolished but the effects still remain to this date. The remains of the African American race are the biggest indicator that slavery was a detrimental mistake. The cultural revolution of the 60’s was a time of great social change for this race. They demanded equality and that they receive a fair chance to prove themselves. Many rights activists emerged and fought for their cause; the greatest example of successful activism was the unconstitutional segregation of schools being overruled. Today, the African American race has made great progress and it is no longer a mystery that they can achieve the same status as the white race. Despite their success, they are still haunted by the fact that many still view them as an inferior race – as ludicrous as it may sound. It will take several more generations to erase these labels which have been imposed upon them due to the misconception because of their ancestors’ enslavement.

3. Devastating Effects of Slavery

The bondsmen would effectively see themselves as a commodity and compare their own depreciating value in the same sense as say a horse, in terms of determining whether they are still a useful tool to their employer. The fact that the Negro was brought to serve in foreign lands gives the impression that they are exiles and alien in their own society, which makes it near impossible for a sense of identity with their own nationality, race, or creed to be formed. This has had a carry-on effect today as the black man in America still sees himself as fighting for a true identity in which he can be proud.

The devastation of slavery is very obvious. For the dependents of slaves, they were left without a provider as this role was being fulfilled by the labor of their parents. As John Berger describes in his book, “Ways of Seeing,” the only thing left by a glass through the painting of a slave family is an empty space; this portrays the lack of entity in the lives of the slave’s family as no depiction of them exists. This is devastating for the dependents as they fail to develop to a level of autonomy. With lack of education and a mentor to provide guidance, they are set up to fail and delude themselves into thinking that the chances given are of equality to the whites, which passing through generations continues to be a sore point in American society today. An example of this is the inequalities in opportunities and pay for the African-American community. Slaves themselves are also devastated by their bondage to servitude. It has been said that at the point in which slavery was declared illegal, was the only point in time at which the white man thought that the black man was actually free.

4. The Moral Imperative to End Slavery

The first point that ought to be made is that the movement to abolish slavery had changed from a moral debate to a political and social struggle. This should not be taken to mean that opposition to slavery was in decline during the period, but rather that an increasing number of individuals from a wider variety of social, political, and ideological backgrounds were becoming convinced of the immorality of the institution. At its inception, the antislavery movement was pushed forward by the ideas of a small radical minority of Quakers and other dissenters. However, as the eighteenth century turned into the nineteenth, the center of economic and intellectual life moved away from the countryside and into the burgeoning cities. The urbanization of the country led to an increase in self-awareness of the populace as a whole and newly forming concepts of literacy and democracy. These concepts unified with the evangelical movement combined to produce a more politically conscious and assertive society, which was reflected by the changing nature of the antislavery movement. This is due to the fact that it was the urban middle class which was to become the driving force behind the movement to abolish slavery, and their values and beliefs were to shape the movement itself and eventually the tactics and strategies for slave resistance in the colonies of the West Indies.

5. Conclusion: A Call to Action

Abolition provides a shining beacon of hope in man’s ability to right social wrongs and change unjust laws and practices. It is a prime example of how sustained public and private morality and conviction can bring about legislative change. The lessons learned from the abolition campaign have provided inspiration for those involved in human rights and social justice issues worldwide. It is an exciting thought that we can use one of the most shameful periods in our history as a force for changing the world for the better.

History has shown us what an effective yet difficult campaign can do to change the social perceptions and laws of a society. There have been countless groups and individuals fighting to make the world today a fairer and less unjust place for those suffering from enforced labor and practices similar to enslavement. The atrocities in contemporary world events, such as the ethnic cleansing wars in the Balkans and, in particular, the use of mass rape as a weapon of war, have provided chilling insights into some of the absolute worst instances of man’s inhumanity to man. Step by step, humanity is trying to find methods to prevent such injustices and bring more stability and fairness to our world.

The final section of the essay is a call to action. The world may seem as though it has improved, slavery is now illegal and morally inhuman to most of the world’s population. However, the brutality and immorality of enslavement still casts a shadow over today’s society. The sheer number of slaves estimated to be in existence in the world today is higher than in any previous century. It is disturbing to think that despite the efforts of countless abolitionists, the world is regressing. There are many modern-day examples of slavery and injustices similar to those that Wilberforce and the Anti-Slave League fought so hard to rid the world of.