Since the beginning of the semester, I
have been struggling with the chicken or the egg question. Which came first:
race or slavery? When it was first introduced in class discussion, it struck me
as an important piece to understanding the impact of slavery in America. Where
did the concept of slavery come from and why did it have such intense racial
implications? Without knowing its origins or the basis for its legitimacy, we
cannot even begin to dissect the complexities of the institution of slavery. No one seems to have the answer, but still the historical and
social analysis of slavery continues. As it turns out, this question is hard to
answer. There is no solidified way to address the extended history of human
behavior and interaction. A few of our readings over the last few months have
attempted to address this unanswerable question. I have found these references helpful in coming to find my own answer to the controversy.
Upon researching a brief history of
slavery, I discovered the practice began with civilization. Since humans have
been alive, slavery has been a widespread institution, whether it be wartime
prisoners, manual laborers, or female sex slaves. Slavery has been engrained
within human societies all over the globe and across centuries, which makes me
wonder: what part of the human consciousness assumes slavery as a moral
practice? If this practice is so engrained in human history, there must be a
natural tendency towards enslavement. The American institution of slavery is
especially interesting in this respect as the colonies were not even united as
one people before the importation of African slaves began. It was an automatic
reaction to the birth of a new nation. During the Phillis Wheatley trial,
Thomas Jefferson comments on the mystery of origin between race and slavery.
When asked to decide the mental capacity of a black woman, “Jefferson drew his
conclusion that it is not slavery, but an inherent mental inferiority…It is not
the black’s condition then, but nature which has caused the distinction.”[1]
According to Jefferson, slavery was not a factor in the inferiority of black
folk. Instead, it was their race that made them biologically predisposed to
oppression by white people. Understanding the American slavery phenomenon from
this perspective dictates that race came before slavery, or racial inferiority
as separate from and not cause by enslavement. On the other hand, Gyasi’s Homegoing provides a narrative rich with
racial complexities intertwined with enslavement. Effia’s marriage to James, in
the first chapters of the book, proves a disregard for the perception of
Africans as inferior, but instead depicts black women as desirable for their
exoticism. James’ position as army enslaver and husband to a young African girl
does not seem to trouble his morality as the enslavement of Africans was an
order from the British military. As told Gyasi’s narrative, the British
soldiers involved in the capturing of African slaves did not conceive of the
racial context, but rather believed slavery would benefit the British colonies.
In this instance, slavery came first and race, second.
Slowly, I have begun to form my own
answer to the question. As slavery was born with civilization, so was the
understanding of human difference. Human behavior was always constructed to
identify an ‘other’ group: the source of all societal ailments and a direct
threat to personal values. The process of ‘othering’ justifies enslavement to
identify the enslaved as less than human. The concept of race is then provided
to explain this behavior, giving a name to the justification for slavery.
Additionally, personal capital can be gained by the ability to control other
people. Whether that be holding a powerful political position or owning slaves,
respect for power yielded over others remains a constant throughout human
history. In combination, both aspects of human behavior dictate the creation of
human slavery as justified by the fear of difference. Still, which aspect was
more powerful? The more I think about it, the more unsure I am that there is an
answer to this age-old question.
I think it's definitely true that pinpointing the origin of racially organized slavery is nearly impossible, and I really like how you mentioned the importance of human behavior in the formation of colonial slavery. Historically, it seems like the sense of the "other" is extremely powerful, and may be the driving force behind much of the idea of race itself. Personally, I think the inherent human behavior of seeing differences in other groups, coupled with the need for immense amounts of labor provided a perfect storm for the beginning of African enslavement. I think it's important, however, to note that race was a large motivation for the British in Africa, as seen in Homegoing. Although relationships occurred between the British and Africans, the British still used their power to coerce African women, power rooted in a racial divide.
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