It is as old as civilization itself, but is the antithesis of civilization. It continues even in the enlightened western era of the 21st century. I refer to slavery. Slavery is thought to have been first practiced over 10,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, modern day Iraq, I suppose it is possible to have been used in hunter-gatherer societies, but a slave would have been another mouth to feed. With the advent of agriculture, crops needed to be tended, and slave labor well fit the labor intensive nature of early agricultural practices. In Mesopotamia a male slave is said to have the value of an orchard of date palms. Food is essential to survival so it makes sense that value was based on food.
Food is not the only human desire, there is also sex. Female slaves in Mesopotamia, it is thought, were called on to provide sexual favors for their master. They would be freed upon the death of their master. Sex trafficking is common to this day, so sex slaves, usually women and girls, are taken captive in order to provide pleasure to patrons. The United States fought a Civil War over this peculiar institution, ending slavery once and for all in the mid-1860's. The Emancipation Proclamation may be all well and good, and it was only applied to the States in rebellion, but from a practical standpoint it had little effect until the south was once again brought in as part of the nation. This brings me to the interesting case of the slave ship La Amistad in 1839. A movie, by the name "Amistad" took liberty with the story and portrayal of the events. A different ship, the Tecora, departed an African port for Cuba with a bounty of slaves, who had been kidnapped by other Africans and sold into slavery. After arrival in Cuba, on the slave ship Tecora, over 50 slaves were sold to two Spanish men, who secured the use of the La Amistad to transport the persons from Havana to Puerto Principe, Cuba for use in their agricultural endeavors. During this journey the slaves rebelled, killed several of the crew and held the 2 Spanish men prisoner and demanded they take them back to Africa. Attempting to avoid the trip to Africa, the Spaniards would head west at night, and east during the day. The ship was not made for the rough seas of the Atlantic and it was no where near any one on board thought, as it eventually ended up near Long Island. The ship would be taken into custody by the US Navy. The rebellious Africans were imprisoned, and after two years would be freed by action of the U. S. Supreme Court.
The US Supreme Court, upholding a lower court ruling, would rule that the rebels had the right to free themselves from bondage, even if murder occurred. This is where the movie has an odd interplay. Being a ship under the Spanish flag, Spain, with its eleven year old Queen, argued that the matter should be handled in the courts of Spain, under the terms of the Pinckney Treaty of 1795. The British are held up in the movie as purveyors of all that is right and good. While Britain would abolish the slave trade in 1807, (the Dutch first abolished trade in slaves in 1804) slavery was not abolished by Britain until 22 years after having been done so in Spain. You see, Spain had abolished slavery for its nation and in its colonies in 1811. Cuba, while under this rule, continued to trade slaves. Regardless of law, there are those who choose to break the law.
Most interesting is that the Supreme Court decision would mean little for slaves in the United States. Slave trading in the nation still occurred (only transporting on the high seas was banned, and as the Tecora shows, it still occurred), there would be the Dred Scott decision, and of course the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the Missouri Compromise. One historian has noted "that the Mende (the tribal origin of the slaves on the La Amistad) passengers had the right to rise up against those who had deprived them of their freedom did not extend to the more than 2.5 million people who were enslaved on plantations and cities across the Unites States at the time." The court decision in the Amistad case shows the hypocrisy of the United States in regard to slavery. What the movie does not explain is that Spain was well ahead of both Britain and the United States in banning slavery--in both Spain and its colonies. Laws do not make habits go away at the start, and Spain had a hard time, and may even have looked the other way in regard to continued subjugation and trading in Cuba. Spain may have looked the other way as a way to avoid riot and war. Yet, the United States did much the same, in the compromises made available as part of law to keep the South happy in regard to the peculiar institution. The United States should not look harshly on Spain for perhaps looking the other way in its distant colony of Cuba. To end slavery 54 years after Spain, the nation would fight a bloody war. As for the Mende, the survivors would return to Africa, and in an even greater irony, or hypocrisy, some are believed to have become involved on the other side of the slave trade.
Food is not the only human desire, there is also sex. Female slaves in Mesopotamia, it is thought, were called on to provide sexual favors for their master. They would be freed upon the death of their master. Sex trafficking is common to this day, so sex slaves, usually women and girls, are taken captive in order to provide pleasure to patrons. The United States fought a Civil War over this peculiar institution, ending slavery once and for all in the mid-1860's. The Emancipation Proclamation may be all well and good, and it was only applied to the States in rebellion, but from a practical standpoint it had little effect until the south was once again brought in as part of the nation. This brings me to the interesting case of the slave ship La Amistad in 1839. A movie, by the name "Amistad" took liberty with the story and portrayal of the events. A different ship, the Tecora, departed an African port for Cuba with a bounty of slaves, who had been kidnapped by other Africans and sold into slavery. After arrival in Cuba, on the slave ship Tecora, over 50 slaves were sold to two Spanish men, who secured the use of the La Amistad to transport the persons from Havana to Puerto Principe, Cuba for use in their agricultural endeavors. During this journey the slaves rebelled, killed several of the crew and held the 2 Spanish men prisoner and demanded they take them back to Africa. Attempting to avoid the trip to Africa, the Spaniards would head west at night, and east during the day. The ship was not made for the rough seas of the Atlantic and it was no where near any one on board thought, as it eventually ended up near Long Island. The ship would be taken into custody by the US Navy. The rebellious Africans were imprisoned, and after two years would be freed by action of the U. S. Supreme Court.
The US Supreme Court, upholding a lower court ruling, would rule that the rebels had the right to free themselves from bondage, even if murder occurred. This is where the movie has an odd interplay. Being a ship under the Spanish flag, Spain, with its eleven year old Queen, argued that the matter should be handled in the courts of Spain, under the terms of the Pinckney Treaty of 1795. The British are held up in the movie as purveyors of all that is right and good. While Britain would abolish the slave trade in 1807, (the Dutch first abolished trade in slaves in 1804) slavery was not abolished by Britain until 22 years after having been done so in Spain. You see, Spain had abolished slavery for its nation and in its colonies in 1811. Cuba, while under this rule, continued to trade slaves. Regardless of law, there are those who choose to break the law.
Most interesting is that the Supreme Court decision would mean little for slaves in the United States. Slave trading in the nation still occurred (only transporting on the high seas was banned, and as the Tecora shows, it still occurred), there would be the Dred Scott decision, and of course the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the Missouri Compromise. One historian has noted "that the Mende (the tribal origin of the slaves on the La Amistad) passengers had the right to rise up against those who had deprived them of their freedom did not extend to the more than 2.5 million people who were enslaved on plantations and cities across the Unites States at the time." The court decision in the Amistad case shows the hypocrisy of the United States in regard to slavery. What the movie does not explain is that Spain was well ahead of both Britain and the United States in banning slavery--in both Spain and its colonies. Laws do not make habits go away at the start, and Spain had a hard time, and may even have looked the other way in regard to continued subjugation and trading in Cuba. Spain may have looked the other way as a way to avoid riot and war. Yet, the United States did much the same, in the compromises made available as part of law to keep the South happy in regard to the peculiar institution. The United States should not look harshly on Spain for perhaps looking the other way in its distant colony of Cuba. To end slavery 54 years after Spain, the nation would fight a bloody war. As for the Mende, the survivors would return to Africa, and in an even greater irony, or hypocrisy, some are believed to have become involved on the other side of the slave trade.
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