Of course involuntary servitude is immoral by 21st century standards.   
However, I am really tired of Americans who continually whine about it as  if it 
has had some impact on their lives today.
 
JD Southmayd
a/k/a J South
 
 
In a message dated 6/26/2008 12:30:29 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

I don't  think that any of us feel that slavery was a good thing. But   
historically it was a fact of life. It should be remembered that   
slavery was legal and practiced in the North as well. But the   
economics in the North did not promote widespread slavery. It was   
found in certain industries (like the iron industry) where large   
numbers of the workers in places as far north as NJ, PA, and NY were   
enslaved. The Saugus IW north of Boston used prisoners of war for   
their workforce (not much better).

Most of us alive today wish that  the Founding Fathers could have  
figured out a way to abolish  slavery. But they did not and slavery  
continued to be a problem  until it was abolished as a result of the  
American Civil War (or  whatever you choose to call it). The abolition  
movement was a  Christian movement. It took almost 2000 years, but  
other religions  were in no hurry to end slavery until Christianity  
(supported by  European navies and armies) appeared.

The fact remains that slavery as  a world wide practice was ended by  
the nations of Europe (and the  US), often by force. It was the US and  
British Navy that ended the  West African slave trade by blockading or  
embargoing the coast. The  East African and interior slave trade (both  
about equal in size to  the West African trade) continued to flourish  
until they were  essentially ended as a result of European colonization  
of Africa.  Slavery continued to be legal in a number of countries  
until well  into the late 20th century. It is still practiced, albeit  
illegally,  in parts of Africa and  Asia.

______________________________________
To subscribe, change  options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions  at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html





**************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for 
fuel-efficient used cars.      (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)

______________________________________
To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html