Why was American slavery so much worse than other forms of slavery throughout history?
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Was it? That's not snark, I'm just not sure that we know it was. Also, "throughout history" is a lot of time. Also not snark.
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I think it was worse? A lot of ancient slaves still had some amount of legal rights or easier routes to freedom.
Darwinian historian Laura Betzig wrote a fascinating paper in 1992 on the ancient Roman breeding system (among elites) of legal monogamy + polygnynous slavery as a strategy that maximized both inherited wealth/power and genetic reproductive success.
laurabetzig.org/pdf/RomanMonog
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You're making a very Christian argument right now. The Bible specifcally gave permission to beat people as long as they didn't die in a day or two.
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Depends on where and when you're talking. Slavery in the classical world was much worse in many ways. Slaves in the the US were an expensive commodity and tended to be treated as such.
In the classical world, slaves generally lived short, brutal lives.
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Yeah, I guess that stuff wasn't unheard of, and by comparison, American slavery would be worse, of course. Also, I see your clarification, so I get the question a little better.
Ancient Roman slaves didn't have any rights for some 300 years. You were allowed to kill them for fun. They were seen as property, no more human than a wooden spoon
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It was more variable. Some ancient slaves - in particular, field hands with inconsiderate masters - had it just as bad or even worse than the typical 19th century American slave. Others had comparatively easy lives, e.g. teachers.
More slaves from Africa went to Muslim countries than to the New World. Why don’t we hear of large black communities in the Arab Middle East or Persia?Anyone know why?
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Ancient slaves were crucified... so no, American slavery wasn’t worse.
Also it wasn’t even that long - like 200-400 years. Ancient Rome and others done it to barbarians for millenias
Mmmm.. I prefer being black slave in the 1850s USA than any slave in ancient civilazations, maybe with the exception of ancient Greece and of course Rome. These three were environment with at least solid LAW where at least on paper torturing or killing slaves was not a option.
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