Cause of Slavery

Slavery has been caused by various factors throughout history, including economic exploitation, the desire for cheap labor, racism, and the desire for power and control. The transatlantic slave trade, for example, was driven by European demand for labor in their colonies, leading to the abduction and enslavement of millions of Africans. Additionally, social and cultural beliefs about race and ethnicity have also played a significant role in the perpetuation of slavery. It’s important to recognize that the causes of slavery are deeply rooted in historical and systemic injustice.

In 1619, “20. and odd Negroes” arrived off the coast of Virginia, where they were “bought for victualle” by labor-hungry English colonists. The story of these captive Africans has set the stage for countless scholars and teachers interested in telling the story of slavery in English North America. Unfortunately, 1619 is not the best place to begin a meaningful inquiry into the history of African peoples in America. Certainly, there is a story to be told that begins in 1619, but it is neither well-suited to help us understand slavery as an institution nor to help us better grasp the complicated place of African peoples in the early modern Atlantic world. For too long, the focus on 1619 has led the general public and scholars alike to ignore more important issues and, worse, to silently accept unquestioned assumptions that continue to impact us in remarkably consequential ways. As a historical signifier, 1619 may be more insidious than instructive.

We shouldn’t ignore that something worth remembering happened in 1619. There are certainly stories worth telling and lives worth remembering, but history is also an exercise in crafting narratives that give voice to the past in order to engage with the present.

The institution of slavery was a major cause of the American Civil War. Disputes over slavery and states’ rights led to the conflict between the United States and 11 Southern states that seceded to form the Confederate States of America. The Southern economy, which was largely based on agriculture and relied heavily on the labor of enslaved people, viewed enslavement as essential to their survival. This disagreement over slavery was a significant factor that led to the Civil War.

Town Hall

Nikki Haley doesn’t mention slavery when asked what caused the Civil War. She later walks that back. COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley was asked at a New Hampshire town hall about the reason for the Civil War, and she didn’t mention slavery in her response. She walked back her comments hours later.

Asked during Wednesday night’s town hall in Berlin what she believed had caused the war — the first shots of which were fired in her home state of South Carolina — Haley talked about the role of government, replying that it involved “the freedoms of what people could and couldn’t do.”

The Confederate Flag

They’re taking it down.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on Thursday signed into law a measure to remove the contentious Confederate battle flag from the state Capitol, the culmination of a years-long movement that was reignited by the murders of nine members of a historically black church in Charleston.

Before adding her signature to the legislation, Haley spoke of the black victims, who were killed by a white man after they welcomed him into a June 17 prayer meeting at Emanuel African Methodist Church.

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In Case Haley Still Can’t Remember

Bamberg County African-American History Resource Collection Opening in the Bamberg [South Carolina] Public Library

The Bamberg African-American Genealogical Society will hold the grand opening of the Bamberg County African-American History Resource Collection at 4 p.m. today (Sunday, February 15, 2009) in the lobby of the Bamberg County Public Library, in Bamberg, South Carolina.

The collection will include “Volume I – Church Histories,” individuals’ videotaped histories, community histories, names of cemeteries and schools, and other information about African-Amercians in Bamberg County produced by BAAGS from December 2007 through January 2009. It will become a permanent part of the Bamberg County Public Library and available for use by the public. For more information, call Vivian Halyard at 803-245-0535 or Alzena Robinson at 803-245-5903.

Recommended Reading

Source: Conversation with Bing, 12/31/2023
(1) Slavery as a Cause of the Civil War – NPS. https://home.nps.gov/liho/learn/historyculture/slavery-cause-civil-war.htm.
(2) What Were the Top 4 Causes of the Civil War? – ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/top-causes-of-the-civil-war-104532.
(3) American Civil War | History, Summary, Dates, Causes, Map, Timeline …. https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Civil-War.
(4) ‘The cause of the Civil War was slavery’: Historian weighs in on Nikki Haley’s answer. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-cause-of-the-civil-war-was-slavery-historian-weighs-in-on-nikki-haleys-answer/ar-AA1m9Ypt.
(5) Nikki Haley doesn’t mention slavery when asked what caused the Civil War. She later walks that back. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/us/nikki-haley-doesnt-mention-slavery-when-asked-what-caused-the-civil-war-she-later-walks-that-back/ar-AA1m8ekA.
(6) Nikki Haley defends leaving slavery out as cause of Civil War after backlash. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/nikki-haley-defends-leaving-slavery-out-as-cause-of-civil-war-after-backlash/ar-AA1m8eOV.