Second Essay

Second Essay

Africans and Europeans during the 17^th and 18^th century began to coincide with one another after the increasing movement of the slave trade. Within Europe itself, many of its leaders challenge the ethics and characteristics that determines a free man and their status in society. The religion of Christianity plays a pivotal role in the social position Africans would be held and connected to in the Christian world. Too much power and social status would give Africans that same stature as the common man, which many Europeans in power challenged while some wanted more than the status of a slave man. The challenges would begin in finding a common bond to bring freed men and slaves together in a predominantly Christian society in Europe. Many countries within Europe would develop different solutions to their challenges, yet would still come together due to the connection all hold with Christianity.

Much of Christianity itself was pushing the abolitionist movement. With other groups also calling it an abomination to help the slaves, many felt that it was a tradition that aligned with the values of being free and Christian. The writings of Peabody dealt with the freedom of men in France. Very little was spoken about Christianity and more about the social politics of France during that time. Trials for Boucaux were argued for his freedom and the decision to call him equal to any other man.¹ Boucaux was a man that believed in Christianity and that everyone in humanity should be equal. Hudson talks more about the legal approach of slavery as it is decided in Great Britain. Other groups such as Quakers are leading the movement for freed slaves in Europe.² While the influences of religion also masked social politics, many groups pushed the abolitionist movement even though rivals had political and economic motivations for slavery.

Christopher Brown talks much about Christianity and it's determination to rid the world from harsh and degrading practices the human race as endured with each other. Slave owners and worshipers clashed on the morality and ethics to keep slaves or to follow Christian teachings to let all individuals under God to be free.³ Boulle writing emphasizes the religious aspect of Christianity and slavery in France. Slaves may face prejudice for not being a modern civilized European and not practicing the Christian religion.⁴

In Equiano memoirs gives us an image of Christianity and the politics that were involves in practicing his religion. Once he was immersed in the Church as a young child he writes about how different he was treated compared to the others.⁵ His writings talk to how equal he is to the other white men that go to Church. It gives a prime example of one situation were the Christian faith proved to make equality true to it's nature without any stereotype of race or stature.

The struggle for Africans to become freed men between social changes and the involvement of Christianity varied across Europe. Many clashes with political and social values in for the power that blacks should have and the thought of economic improvement for having slaves were a constant debate. Many different viewpoints on religion itself and certain beliefs causes the connection between Christians and slaves to be free different in all parts of Europe. In spite of these problems, many groups would still ban together and risk fallout for a important cause. Power and social hierarchy in Europe were on the fringe of being changed, which made the determination of also putting Africans as freed men another challenge which made individuals of prestige protest. Other Africans who were in Europe banned together as a community to challenge the problems and alleviate the situations that many faced.

Christianity's hope during the 1600-1800s was to help slaves that were coming from Africa to become free. Many would find their freedom through escaping, seeking refuge, arguing in trial, finding common ground with whites, and religion. The religion affects many aspects of how Africans lived in this time and how they were viewed politically and in society. In the end, much of the thought to free slaves and even give them endowed rights came from society becoming more practical and understanding to the livelihood of humanity.

1Peabody, Sue. “Race, Slavery, and the Law in Early Modern France.” Historian 56, no. 3
(1994): 501-510.

2Peabody, 501-510.

3Brown, Christopher Leslie. Christianity and the Campaign Against Slavery and the Slave Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.

4Boulle, Pierre H. “Racial Purity or Legal Clarity? The Status of Black Residents in
Eighteenth-Century France.” The Journal of the Historical Society 4, no. 1
(2006): 19-46.

5Equiano, Olaudah. Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano: Or Gustavus Westminster, MD: Random House, 2004.

First Essay

Victor Mai

HST498

Europeans were able to find explore African culture and the people themselves in the early 1400s. Europeans would easily travel through the Atlantic Ocean and enter Northern Africa. Merchants and traders were looking for new prouducts and exotic items. Most of the traders would run into the African people, who they knew very little about. Europe would develop their economic and start expanding into Africa. Much of Southern Europe would start to have contact to Africa people. One of those ways began with the development of slavery. Many European countries would begin the debate for the ethics and purpose of slavery. Some countries would ban it and others would embrace it for their economy.

Africans were brought to Europe, much of the people would base their opnions from what they read from published books of many travelers. Movement on ship voyages and expansion by many European powers would bring Africa into the picture as a place for profit and competition with other European Powers. Much of the European society would see this subject as a new and different part of life that became unknown yet a challenge to be looked upon. Much of the social and economic benefits and differences would be challenged and thought of what would be right to enact as ethical.

The African people began to become targets for trade, to be brought back to the European countries. Africans were also looked at as being worthy to being slaves. Much of politics and social issues, to include religion would play an important role. Northern Africa would a predominently Muslim region and thus could be enslaved as they were not Christan. This view would constantly debated through the 1400 and 1500s as many did not know how slaves should be treated.

As the European countries were developing, bring Africans from the outside world in would increase a source of labor and was manageable and able to control. been felt before. The growth of what would become the slace trade would being a clash of cultures between the two contients. Everyday life in Europe was becoming used to the idea of having slaves around and the African people began to believe in this way of life also.

Some of the European coutries would try to find equality and rights for these people aftger the 1600s such as Great Britain. Yet around the contient much of the people began to be looked at as a lower class than other men., This culture would begin to become normal and the tought of civil rights would become no existent. Within these 200 years of interactions between Europe and Africa, Europeans were created and controling the aspects and livelihoods of African people for their benefit. Social ethics and class were developed and constantly debated. The identity of the African people and their culture was see to the western world and would become a struggle for hundreds of more years to come.

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