I've never been a slave. I've never had to fight for my freedom. I've never been beaten into submission. The harshest treatment I've ever faced was the bullyings of my brothers while I was growing up. I've never know what it was like to be truly hungry. I've never been particularly afraid of or intimidated by anyone. The greatest consequence I've had to face for disobedience was a scolding, a spanking and an expulsion to my room. I've lived a pretty cushy life.
I've never been a master either. I've never robbed someone of their freedom and I have never beaten someone into submission. I've done my share of teasing, even a bit of bullying but never anything very severe. I never withheld food from another. I've never been particularly frightening or intimidating. The most severe punishment I've ever inflicted on another was a spanking or time out.
I was never directly involved in the slave trade.
I am the descendant of Scottish coal miners on both sides of my family. My ancestors were never directly involved in the slave trade--in fact they lived more like slaves themselves, exploited, working in unbearable conditions until one day they died from it. At least that was until they emigrated to the land of the free. How ironic that name sometimes seems to me.
Although nor I or my ancestor were involved in the slave trade, I experience it's effects everyday. The United States of America would be a different country today if our forebearers had treated every man as equal, just as they are in the eyes of God. I wonder how different our nation would be. Would it be more or less economically developed? Would there be great equality among the races? Would we still have stark differences between social classes?
Sometimes I wonder what my opinion of slavery would be if I had lived at the time. It's easy to look backwards and make judgements--hindsight bias makes it easy to orientate one's moral compus to due north. Would I find it as repulsive as I do today or would I see it as just a part of life? I'd like to say that I would have risen above common belief and done what I could to improve the situations of those so harshly abused for the profit of the white man. But would I really? Living now and here, having so many incredible blessings and opportunities, I have decided I want to dedicate my life to improving the opportunities of those who would otherwise never have any. Would I of had a similar outlook then?
Sometimes I wonder...
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I liked how you juxtaposed your position as neither a slave or slave-holder. I feel quite similarly, but I don't know that it does much good for us to wonder what might have been if the citizens of the United States had treated all men equally from the get-go. Now forgive me for sounding almost blasphemous, but I believe the United States is better off for having had the slave trade. Now, before you get your knife out, let me explain. I don't agree with any actions of the slaveholders or those who supported the slave trade directly. What they did was wrong, and it is sad they didn't see that. But the slave trade brought more than 6 million slaves to the United States that left their ancestors as slaves that became free. We wouldn't have such a diverse and culture-rich country without them.
ReplyDeleteOur history as the United States does affect us. Even though we never participated in the slave trade, when we learn about the cruelties involved, we feel for the slaves, and though we may never know what it feels like, we know enough to never let something like that happen again. And we should be aware of what is going on around us, so we can avoid any recurrence of reformation of a type of slave trade.
As far as wondering what you would have been like, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have been okay with it, and would have done something to stop it, because you are alive today. I hope that makes some sense to you, cuz it makes a lot of sense to me. :D Good thoughtful post.