About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

33 U. Mem. L. Rev. 265 (2002-2003)
Ancient Slavery versus American Slavery: A Distinction with a Difference

handle is hein.journals/umem33 and id is 275 raw text is: Ancient Slavery Versus American Slavery: A Distinction with a Difference ROY L. BROOKS* In this article, I address an important issue in the debate on redress for slavery: Should our government apologize for slavery when, in fact, the institution dates back to the beginning of recorded history? In other words, given the fact that chattel slavery-the use of human beings as a commodity and in a bestial manner-was a universally accepted practice during the time the government enslaved blacks, does that absolve the government of any obligation to tender an apology? My answer is no. The federal government still has a moral obligation to apologize for its prictice of chattel slavery (hereinafter African slavery). Slavery has a long presence in Western civilization. From the times of ancient Mesopotamia to 1888, the year Brazil freed its last slave, human beings were used as a form of currency. They were used as commodity for a variety of purposes, such as to retire debts or as items of barter. Human beings were, in addition, treated like domesticated animals or pets. The latter-what Orlando Patterson refers to as the Sambo stereotype' and David Brion Davis calls the effort to bestialize human beings2-is the common thread of all systems of slavery. Yet, none of this justifies or even explains the singular evil of slavery in the Americas initiated by the Portuguese in the fifteenth century. The Atlantic slave system was not slavery as usual. More than that, the United States government gave crucial life to the system. The government should, therefore, apologize for its participation in African slavery. * Warren Distinguished Professor of Law, University of San Diego Law School. 1. ORLANDO PATTERSON, SLAVERY AND SOCIAL DEATH: A COMPARATIVE STUDY 96 (1982). 2. DAVID BRION DAVIS, IN THE IMAGE OF GOD: RELIGION, MORAL VALUES, AND OUR HERITAGE OF SLAVERY 134-35 (2001).

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most