HIST 258 Final: HIST 258 Final Exam Review

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Part A:
Slavery: A Working Definition.
Providing a working definition of slavery is difficult.
Slavery is specific to circumstances and places as well as particular historical
contexts.
Slavery was a product of the society in which it was embedded.
From the Bible, Aristotle, Thomas Hobbs, you can see how slavery is discussed
and against.
The enslavement of people that were not a Jewish faith would have been longer.
One of the fundamental rationales for slavery was that the enslavers have to
construct by necessity that the slaves are of the “other”.
Aristotle argues that slavery is a natural condition.
o Certain people are naturally inclined to be pressed into a condition of
slavery.
o Some are intended by nature to be a slave.
o Idea that some people are predisposed to become slaves is an idea that
would resonate over space and time.
Hobbes maintains that the fundamental of the contract of slavery is that the
owner promises to not kill the slave, therefore the slave will do what the master
wishes.
o “Conquest as contract”
Montesquieu ridicules the idea that people tries to justify black slavery based on
the physical traits of blacks.
He parodies the Christian slave owners.
Slavery was an institution that existed and ubiquitous throughout world history,
throughout Greece, Romans, it was not only experienced in the new world by
blacks.
Slavery in the North American continent was atypical in many aspects, because
slaves were completely their owner’s property, could be bought and sold.
Distance was a key factor as American slaves could not return home, and they
spoke a different language from their master.
Slavery in North America was atypical in manumission, (they were freed), which
was rare in history.
Slaves were subject to the total control of their masters, they could also be
moved (movable property).
Sexual dimension to slavery
o It was a different issue for woman and men.
Although slaves had low social status, it was not monolithic.
Different slaves had different experiences.
The movement and behaviour of slaves were controlled by the masters.
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The children inherit the position from their parents.
o Usually their mothers, just in case their father is white.
Slavery on the African continent was quite different.
Part B: Slavery prior to 1650.
Slavery’s existence in Africa created a debate on whether the practice of slavery
was indigenous or principally imported from outside.
But Africa was quite isolated from the rest of the world, except areas around the
regional coast or the sea.
People in areas that were rich in gold and copper tended to have relationships
with outsiders.
Gerontocracy
o Kinship based societies, elders had the power.
o Elder’s powers was articulated through their access to women.
o It is through women, that elders controlled the means of production and
agriculture.
o Women in these societies are also valued for their futility.
o Through these marriages, were these elders able to get control of the
societies and kinship networks.
o Access to natural resources was also important, like land, water, wild
game.
o So to, was access to slaves. Slaves added to the prestige of these elders.
o Slavery emerges as one of the many types of dependencies in these
societies. The two defining characteristics are kinship and dependency.
o Slaves did not technically have formal ties to the kinship network, the only
rights they had were rights granted through sufferance (the acceptance of
their masters).
Sufferance.
o Accruing slaves allowed the masters to gain power.
o Slavery becomes primarily about getting social wealth instead of economic
wealth.
o No distinct economic slaves.
o Masters have other sorts of dependence.
o Emancipation upon these were possible through a gradual process, the
sale of these persons were rare.
Paul Lovejoy,
o The existence of these slave societies based on kinship, before 1450,
Islam was the only influence.
Islam
Grows to takeover the world. Slaves were taken through conquest of holy wars.
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Majority of the infidels taken as slaves were black.
Slaves are coming from Western Europe and Southern Russia.
Some indication that the origin of the word “slave” is from Slavs,
Slavery is seen as religious apprenticeship in the Islamic world, for non-Muslims.
Women and children were in greater demand than men.
Eunuchs and veral boys were pressed into military duties.
The most attractive women were pressed into harams.
The freeing of slaves is seen as a piety in the Qur’an.
Islamic laws limited the number of wives a man could take, and draws a firmer
line between the enslaved and freed.
These concubines became legally free.
The economic aspect of slavery was more predominant than the kinship
societies.
One of the commodities that become important is sugar.
Islamic Influence
Becomes intertwined with slavery in Africa.
Islamic expansion is tied to slavery in Africa.
Muslims establish trade links called the Sudanic Belt, trans-Saharan trade routes
develop with sub-Saharan African leaders.
Gold and slaves emerge as the most important part of these networks.
The Caravan Trade.
The idea of slavery gets incorporated in the African world, slave exports begin to
increase dramatically that keeps up until the 1500s.
Slaves endure harsh conditions of heat and cold, and lack of water.
The number of Africans moved during the trans-Atlantic trade was 4,820,000.
In conclusion:
o Slavery was ubiquitous throughout human history.
o Slavery still exists in various parts of the world, in places such as Libya
and is very much with us, unfortunately.
o Black slavery in the new world is perhaps the most severe form of slavery.
o Slavery was not synonymous with race throughout most of human history.
o Existed in Ancient Greece, Rome, sub-Saharan Africa.
o African slaves also existed and slaves helped the power of leaders.
o Islamic slavery was based on religion primarily and not race, although
overtime, black slavery becomes a dominant feature.
o Trans-saharan slavery changes African conception of slavery, it moves
away from kinship model to a model that is economically driven.
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