Christianity and The Promotion of Slavery Essay examples -- Social Stu

One of the strongest roots of slavery and racism in the United States came from the Christian belief that blackness was linked with evil. This notion was used as moral justification to capture, enslave, punish, mutilate, and otherwise just inhumanely treat darker-skinned African people. Even before the colonies had been well established, It was widely accepted in Christianity that blackness and black skin were evil. One root cause behind the mating of blackness with evil was the bubonic plague in Europe in the 14th century. The bubonic plague was a deadly epidemic which killed between thirty and fifty percent of Europe's population (close to seventy-five million people). The bubonic plague, because it wiped out at least a third of Europe's population, had very deep and lasting impacts on the course of history. When infected victims were very close to death, their skin would blacken as a result of hemorrhages, or blood clots. At this point, there was no hope for the victim . Hence the bubonic plague came to be known as the black death. It is also important to note that these were the middle ages, and people in this period suffered through frequent outbreaks of famine, disease, war, and generally economic hard times. Society was also not very progressive, and people lived in constant fear of God. The churches played a very large role in that 'dark' society and in time, the bubonic plague left an i ndelible mark on Christianity: black was evil and signified hunger, suffering, disease, hard times, and death. The second major contributor to the notion that blackness was evil had to do with the constant strife between western European Christian nations and the people of the middle east, typically Muslim in faith: "One of the defini... ... free...and baptism doth not bestow freedom on him, nor make any alteration in his temporal condition...we are also of the opinion, the master may legally compel him to return to the plantation ". Later revised versions of this philosophy which led to the fugitive slave clause in the constitution of the United States left out part about baptism, but it is important to note that their origins mentioned baptism. This is a prime instance of religious beliefs working their way into the law books regarding slavery. Works Cited "Black Death." Middle-ages.org.uk. Web. 18 May 2012. . Hood, Robert E. Begrimed and Black:Christian Traditions on Blacks and Blackness. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1994. Print. Tise, Larry E. Proslavery: A History of the Defense of Slavery in America. Athens: Univ. of Georgia, 1987. Print.