Was slavery more about wealth than race, since there were actually some black slave-owners in America?
by 
Anti-Semantic - Quaerens Intellectum
ANSWERS: 16
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i think slavery was more about race because even after the slaves were freed, blacks were not given equal rights.
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A little of both.
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I believe that money was the root of this evil.
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Well, put yourself in their place. You have 1200 acres and the opportunity to realize a huge profit from cotton. Unfortunately it's you, your wife four boys and a daughter. Everybody works as they're able but two of the boys and the daughter, they're too young and wife still has to attend to them. You hire laborers, that cuts into the profit. So as you are able you buy slaves. What a deal. You don't have to pay them, you only have to feed them enough to keep them healty enough to work the fields from dawn to dusk, housing takes minimal investment, but you can't have them out in the weather, clothing is what your family either doesn't want or is worn out so nothing out of pocket there. They reproduce on their own, increasing in number, money gets tight you can always sell one. As you can afford it you buy one to take care of the house and wait on you and your family. Money, Money, Money The greed that produced this culture and the culture itself regardless of the motivation, turn my stomach.
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Yes, it was more about wealth. That's a very good question Anti-semantic!
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Probably a bit of both, with a dash of power & control thrown in for good measure.
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what do you mean "about" ? slavery existed since ancient times. it's mentioned in the Bible. in ancient Rome, around 300 AD, there was a sudden increase in slavery. the rule was that possession would give you title. imagine that: capture your neighbor, and you own him.
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I think slavery makes only sense if the owner makes profit. Making profit means wealth and an easy and luxurious life. In ancient Greece they believed that intelligent people were not made for work but only for science, culture and amusement and corporal labour was made for slaves. So slavery was regarded as a natural necessity allowing to the upper class a life on a high level as they deserved. Slavery and wealth were always the basic components and I think most slave-ownes never made a great difference in regard of the colour of the skin of their slaves. If slaves are needed the owners take any kind of people and won't look at the colour of the skin. Black people were only quite cheap and so mostly black people were slaves. As long as the owners can make profit they would buy and need slaves. It is nothing but a mere rule of an economic market.
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Slavery in general is always about wealth. White people have been slaves, black people have been slaves, asians have been slaves, indians have been slaves, etc etc. Slavery is about wealth, power, and control.
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That was also a major factor, slavery was always about 'working smarter, not harder' but the majority of whites then disliked blacks and that was apparent because they couldn't even treat them like decent human beings after slavery was abolished. Antimiscengenation laws are a good example.
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Hardcore Conservative They didn't like the Irish either. Irish slaves were cheaper than black ones.
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Slavery since ever was an economic power. Having a comfortable and lazy life by having slaves who work for you, was a dream of many people. In our societies we have more than enough people who want to have a luxury life without work. Those people would not care very much if others have to toil for them as long as they have an easy and luxurious life. This is the economic reason why people always tried to have slaves. The other question just was where to find those slaves who were a guarantuee for a wealthy and comfortable life without work. Those who think they have the right to lead a comfortable life never had scruples to force other people as their slaves and so I think it was since ever nothing but human egoism and an econimic reason why slavery was existing.
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Slavery is always about wealth. The reason there were so many black African slaves in Europe and America is because no one was going to stop the slave traders from taking them. African nations had no wealth and no power therefore. Slavery is almost as old as man-kind.
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Hardcore Conservative
Blacks were taking whites as slaves all along the Med before and well after the US civil war.
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whites used them as slaves as they couldn't fight back. simple. and yes balck slave owners sold their people wo whites, and before the slave trade there were black slave traders stealing white people from scottish island.. but you dont hear about that
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Africa was built on slavery can't play the race card there
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There has been slavery in every civilization since the dawn of time. And not just black slavery. By some accounts, there were more Irish slaves in America during the height of slavery, than there were African slaves. African nations were raiding as far north as Iceland in order to capture Europeans for the Saharan slave trade as late as the 19th century. A handful of folks tried to ban slavery, but it didn't really get any traction until the Western nations picked up the pace. Vermont, an independent nation in 1777, was the first sovereign nation to ban slavery. Slavery, while technically illegal, is still practiced in many countries in Africa and Asia.
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anything is possible
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