Justification Of Slavery

The Justification of an Abhorrent Institution Slavery was a repugnant, cruel practice that undermined the lives of other human beings. However, slavery was once widely accepted throughout nineteenth century America. In our modern society, it is difficult to imagine how anyone could have justified something so immoral. Regardless, throughout the south, slavery was considered a part of life. Pro-slavery supporters used various legal, religious, and economic arguments to justify the practice of slavery. Throughout American history, many laws were instituted supporting the practice of slavery. These make up the legal argument used by supporters of slavery. The earliest example of these types of laws can be seen in the Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted slaves as three-fifths of a person in population counts. Many other laws were passed concerning the transport of slaves through free states and territories. An example of this would be the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, a harshly-enforced law passed to return any runaway slaves to their former owners. Even more monumental than these laws was the Dred Scott Case, a landmark court decision that banned African Americans from being U.S. citizens. Despite the large

Biblical examples of slavery include Abraham and his possession of slaves, and Paul returning a runaway slave to his master. Other Christians believed that it was good that slaves had been captured and sent overseas, because it introduced them to Christianity. Many people believed that slavery was good for slaves in the sense that it provided them with food and shelter. The social support of slavery was embodied in the phrase “Our peculiar institution,” with the word peculiar used as meaning “our own.” This phrase was used to refer to slavery without saying the word itself, and to help make slavery seem like a natural, accepted