Slavery Is Mostly Over, Racism Endures
Slavery emerged as an agricultural system of forced labor, justified on the unscientific concept of invented “race.” Depending on geographic area and climatic conditions in the Western Hemisphere, these crops included sugar, coffee, tobacco, and cotton. In the South the most important staple crops were tobacco and cotton. A racial doctrine based on skin color distinguished modern Western slavery from the slavery that existed in ancient times. In modern times (from the 1400s), the majority of slaves consisted of Africans and their descendants, while the slave owners consisted of Europeans from England, France, Spain, Germany, Portugal, and other parts of Europe.
Perhaps the greatest contribution in understanding why Europe originally dominated world relations, has been contributions of UCLA Geography professor Jared Diamond. According to Diamond, Europeans were “accidental conquerors “ In Diamond’s work, Guns, Germs, and Steel, he explains that Europe has consistent climate variations because of the geographical East-West orientation of the continent. Consequently, the range of animals and crops expands the width of Europe’s land mass and beyond along a path of latitude in which climatic conditions are stable. Africa, South America, and other parts of the Southern Hemisphere have a North-South geographic orientation that does not allow for widespread variation of crops or the domestication of animals, nor for consistent rainfall. Europe had many more animals and crops that could be domesticated than areas in the Southern Hemisphere.
Europeans had the use of horses that can be used quite efficiently for warfare, whereas Africans and native populations of North and South America had no such creature. Horses are swift and can be used with deadly consequences against societies without such animals. With this type of availability, European societies could grow in organized ways that cannot be accomplished in areas where crops are difficult to grow because of severe climatic conditions below the equator.
Along with the large number of animals and crops available for domestication, was the abundance of steel (Iron) in Europe that allowed for the making of arrows that could penetrate any African shield. Steel armor was also developed to provide protection from stone pointed arrows. Europe also had an abundance of germs that native populations had no immunity against. This caused the decimation of millions of Mayan Indians in Mexico for example. Thus, the myth of “white superiority” is destroyed
Slavery and its racial constructions left a lasting imprint on the development of the social structure of the United States. Most of the “Founding Fathers” were slaveholders that perpetuated the racial inferiority myth of Black Africans in their writings, thoughts, and policies. This would eventually result in the American Civil War. The Civil War ended legalized slavery but did not end slavery by another name that the former plantation owners used to replace chattel slavery.
Today, overcoming the legacy of slavery remains a crucial issue in America. Racism is an almost permanent structure and will remain long into the next century as long as ignorant uneducated white racists keep passing the ideas on. Institutional inequalities remain and are woven into the fabric of American society. Hence, a permanent racist structure still exists that controls certain aspects of American government. This has changed somewhat over time, but white racism has shown an ability to endure despite legislation against it and protests against it. White privilege is still a problem and is evident in racial profiling and other acts of violence. Racism is still an evil cancer that haunts America and will probably endure for some time. However, it’s defeated every day in the fight back.
