Slavery can most often be thought of as some of the harshest race-based discrimination in our nation’s, and in the world’s history. Slavery was first introduced in the British colonies in 1619, however, slavery had already been present for years before coming to present-day America. Slavery was abolished from the United States in 1865 by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, however, African Americans are still not treated as equals to other citizens. The fight for equal rights to African American citizens in the United States has been a long, horrible process, and is ongoing.
The colonies first started transporting Africans for labor in 1619, and slavery legally continued for nearly 250 years. In this time, over 9 million Africans (lowest estimate) were taken from their homes to work for colonists. It was a horrible decision of the colonists to allow slavery to continue for so long, however it’s definitely a great thing that slavery was ended eventually. If slavery had never been ended at all, the results would be disastrous. The population of Africa would be so drastically affected that they wouldn’t be able to function as a whole, not to mention the countless negative effects that the African citizens could cause in America, such as joblessness, diseases, etc.
Even though it’s great slavery was ended for our own benefits, slavery was also illegal, according to our basic governmental principles, established in the Declaration Of Independence, which states that all men are created equal. If all men are created equal, this includes Africans, correct? Why is it that white men were allowed to be free, and do so as they pleased, while African Americans were forced from their homes and into horrible labor on a daily basis? African Americans were illegally treated unequally, and deserve red equal treatment during times of slavery as well as now.
Along with the fact that the Declaration Of Independence makes slavery illegal, the right of all citizens to equality makes slavery illegal. Equality maintains the same concept, in that all people are created equal. African Americans obviously weren’t treated equally during times of slavery. African Americans still aren’t truly treated equal to everyone else in society to this day, however, they greatly deserve it.
Slavery is illegal according to equality, but I already know how slavery was, and the events that took place were treacherous. Slaves were beaten, starved, and lived in the harshest of conditions, while their owners got rich, ate well, and lived in the nicest of houses. Female slaves were forced to have children, cook, and do horrible housework, as well as some work in the fields. Men primarily served the purpose of working under the sun, harvesting in the fields for extremely long hours. I don’t understand how Americans had the heart to do this, regardless of how it infringes the basic principles of American Government.
Therefore, slavery was wrong and should have never taken place. The right for equal rights to African American citizens has been a long, horrible process, and is ongoing. If slavery had never been ended, many more problems could, and would have arisen. Slavery was illegal according to the Declaration Of Independence and to Equality. Slavery was also a horrid process which Americans should not have ever went through with, simply because they should understand that it’s for the common good of people to not force them into labor. Slavery destroyed the lives of millions of people, and cause more race-based discrimination than any other event in United States history.
