Introduction
Nowadays, slavery is widely considered one of the worst immoral forms of forced labor and economic exploitation. It is important to understand that slavery went through several development stages during human history. For instance, the institution of slavery in Greece and Rome was significantly different from slavery in the 19th-century United States. One cannot deny that classical slavery was still an unjust, harsh system that relied on violence (Hunt, 2018). However, the Atlantic slave trade was unique in its unfairness and cruelty since it was based on racial grounds. Romans and Greeks conquered territories and enslaved people from the defeated nations regardless of race and ethnicity. In contrast, the vast majority of the Atlantic slave trade victims were black people; in their case, the race was a strong enough reason for justifying the enslavement.
Black slaves were usually bought from the pirates of the Barbary Coast, the region on the North coast of Africa. Initially, the corsairs raided European territories and captured over a million Europeans from the 15th to the beginning of the 19th century (Vick, 2018). According to Berquist Soule (2018), slave markets of the early 1400s Spain offered a diverse population of Moors, Greeks, Russians, and Tartars in addition to black Africans. However, as European powers and their fleets grew stronger, the raiders shifted their focus to easier victims — the Africans. As a result, the number of African slaves forcibly shipped to the New World reached 12,5 million by the early 19th century (Vick, 2018). The United States and European powers, primarily Spain and Portugal, were willing to purchase enslaved Africans and use them as a source of cheap labor. In the end, this policy led to the emergence of a new type of slavery. This type of slavery was directly linked to racism and the presumed inferiority of black people to their masters.
Ancient Greek and Roman Slavery
Slavery was not an invention of the Greek or Roman civilization. According to Hunt (2018), the Greeks learned about slavery from the more advanced civilizations of the Near East: Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt. Consequently, the Romans came in contact with the Greek colonists and traders and adopted the institution themselves. In addition, it is worth mentioning that slavery was common throughout the ancient world; in particular, enslaving the women of defeated enemies was a usual practice (Hunt, 2018). However, the Romans and certain Greek city-states, such as Athens, went even further and created true slave societies where slavery was a central institution (Hunt, 2018). Slaves were devoid of social status and legal rights — they were treated as legal possessions of their masters rather than human beings. Calculating masters routinely used threats and punishments to make their slaves work harder without killing them, whereas cruel masters could abuse or even kill slaves with impunity (Hunt, 2018). In this regard, it can be considered ironic that Greek and Roman civilizations have made a large contribution to the development of modern democracy.
The main difference between the Greek and Roman versions of slavery lies in the main sources of new slaves. Greek civilization was not united politically; sometimes, most prominent cities such as Athens or Sparta formed alliances around them, but in general, Greek city-states were independent. As a result, Greek cities mostly fought wars among themselves, and it was more financially advantageous to ransom captives to their native city (Hunt, 2018). Consequently, most slaves in ancient Greece were non-Greeks of various backgrounds imported to serve regardless of their race or ethnicity.
In contrast, the Roman Republic, later transformed into Empire by Augustus, was a single powerful political entity that fought constant wars against its neighbors. Therefore, most slaves in the Roman state were foreigners captured during the conquests. In the heyday of Roman civilization, between 150 BC and 150 AD, slave-worked farms dominated agriculture, and Roman aristocrats owned large mansions with hundreds of slaves (Hunt, 2018). With sad irony, one can say that the Romans did not discriminate against particular nations or races — they claimed supremacy over the whole world. Overall, Ancient Greek and Roman slavery was a harsh social institution; however, at this point, it was justified on cultural and civilizational rather than racial grounds.
Atlantic Slave Trade
The spread of Christianity, combined with the fall of the Roman civilization, led to the decline of slavery in Europe. The New Testament claimed that Christians should not hold other Christians as slaves (Berquist Soule, 2018). Unfortunately, slavery recovered and blossomed as the European colonial empires and their biggest rival — the Ottoman Empire, clashed in the Mediterranean Sea. For several centuries, the corsairs from the so-called Barbary Coast raided ships and shores across the region. Initially, many of their victims were Greeks, Russian, Moors, Poles, and people from various European nations. However, slave traders gradually shifted their attention to black Africans, who were politically divided and could not defend themselves. European colonial powers, in particular Portugal and Spain, needed a cheap workforce to develop their colonies and compete against such rivals as England and Spain. Later in the 18th century, the newly-founded USA joined the Atlantic slave trade to develop the economy of the growing nation quickly. As a result, millions of black Africans were enslaved and forcibly transported across the ocean in horrible conditions.
The economic impact of black African slavery on commodity production in the Americas was colossal. For instance, enslaved Africans produced 54% of total export commodities value in the Americas over the 1501-1550 period (Inikori, 2020). At the end of the 18th century, this share increased to 82,5%; by 1850, soon before the abolition of slavery in the USA, it remained at 68,8% (Inikori, 2020). The low cost and high availability of slave labor allowed us to use it extensively and efficiently, especially in agriculture. However, the economic benefits of slave society were not novel — ancient Greeks and Romans had experienced them long before Spain, Portugal, and the American South. The novel and deplorable aspect of the Atlantic slave trade added a racial component to an already morally dubious institution. In this regard, Atlantic slavery created and strengthened the racist narrative that portrayed black people as inferior beings, suitable only for servitude.
Linkage Between Atlantic Slave Trade and Racism
Given the history and nature of the Atlantic slave trade, one can establish a clear link between modern slavery and racism. Throughout the 15th century, the Portuguese and Spaniards purchased or captured the growing number of black Africans. These victims of the slave trade were promptly shipped to American colonies and assigned to manual labor in harsh conditions. As a result of this practice, a strong conceptual tie between blackness and servitude was born (Berquist Soule, 2018). Enslavement of Africans has become morally justified in the eyes of their masters — black people were routinely perceived as ignorant barbarians who did not deserve a better fate. Moreover, conversion to Christianity did not help black victims of the Atlantic slave trade, as they were effectively abandoned by the Catholic Church (Berquist Soule, 2018). Therefore, the concept of racial inferiority applied to black Africans superseded the New Testament’s notion that Christians should not enslave other Christians. An encompassing image of a lighter-skinned master versus a darker-skinned slave was created and reinforced over time.
African-American slavery in the U.S. stemmed from this traditional racist narrative. African-Americans were associated with positions of slaves, which was convenient for the needs of an agriculture-based economy. Enslaved Africans worked on plantations and produced cheap cotton, which was vital for the U.S. economy. For instance, cotton export accounted for 49,9% of the total U.S. export in 1850 (Inikori, 2020). Skin color alone was considered a sufficient justification for such treatment; morals, ethics, or religion were utterly disregarded. Unfortunately, the racist narrative did not vanish with the abolition of slavery in the U.S.
Conclusion
Slavery has changed over time; this institution in the ancient world was significantly different from its modern forms. In particular, the Atlantic slave trade added a racial aspect to slavery. The Greeks and Romans enslaved their victims regardless of their race. In contrast, the Atlantic slave trade resulted in a persistent negative stereotype of blackness associated with servitude. In the end, the United States and the European colonial empires of Portugal and Spain managed to achieve substantial economic benefits through slavery. However, this goal was accomplished by creating a long-lasting racist narrative that justifies prejudice towards a whole race within humankind.
References
Berquist Soule, E. (2018). From Africa to the Ocean Sea: Atlantic slavery in the origins of the Spanish Empire. Atlantic Studies, 15(1), 16-39. Web.
Hunt, P. (2018). Ancient Greek and Roman slavery. Wiley Blackwell.
Inikori, J. E. (2020). Atlantic slavery and the rise of the capitalist global economy. Current Anthropology, 61(S22), S159-S171.
Vick, B. (2018). Power, humanitarianism and the global liberal order: abolition and the Barbary corsairs in the Vienna Congress system. The International History Review, 40(4), 939-960. Web.