I’m reminded of the American politician, John Calhoun, who posited that enslavement was a force for good for the slaves. Slavery in the American south was brought to the states by English planters from the Caribbean who were part of the triangle trade. Much of the Empire’s wealth came from the fruits of slave labor. While GB ended its slavery in the early 19th century, it continued in America as slavery, then peonage. Its harms to America’s social contract continue to this day.
Of course, to me the fly in the ointment in the gentleman’s argument is that 1> the individual had no choice when seized; 2> the system exploited free labor; 3> the system was not voluntarily ended because of its economic value; and 4> its harms persist to this day in America.
I’m reminded of the American politician, John Calhoun, who posited that enslavement was a force for good for the slaves. Slavery in the American south was brought to the states by English planters from the Caribbean who were part of the triangle trade. Much of the Empire’s wealth came from the fruits of slave labor. While GB ended its slavery in the early 19th century, it continued in America as slavery, then peonage. Its harms to America’s social contract continue to this day.
Of course, to me the fly in the ointment in the gentleman’s argument is that 1> the individual had no choice when seized; 2> the system exploited free labor; 3> the system was not voluntarily ended because of its economic value; and 4> its harms persist to this day in America.
Progress happens, sometimes in response to evil.