The history of slavery in human history is complex and stretches from pre-history to the present day. It includes people from every culture, race, religion, and creed as both the slaver and the enslaved.

To understand American slavery you must understand slavery as it has existed throughout history. American slavery was evil. Slavery is evil. Period.

The causes and abuses for the system of slavery in the America’s are multifaceted and involve both blacks and whites as both slaves and slavers.
The end result was a system of slavery that was entirely racial, and heavily classist.

As with all conflict, there were conquerors and the conquered. And those who were on top saw it as their divine right and sanction to oppress the others.

Where it becomes unique is that within the Christian framework, which had gotten rid of slavery under Feudalism, it now had to create “Christian” excuses for the subjugation & abuse of their fellow man. What followed is perhaps the greatest perversion of the Gospel in history

It was such a powerful force that even great theological minds like Jonathan Edwards were under its sway.
Thankfully, what was excused by a perversion of Christianity was also fought against by those who held to a truer teaching of the Gospel

Wilberforce, Frederick Douglass, Newton, Roger Williams, and Benjamin Franklin, were all stirred by their religious belief to end the abomination that was slavery in England and in North America.

Many even tried to end slavery in the Middle East, sadly to no avail. Unlike in the United States, there wasn’t Christianity upon which to found the fundamental idea of the dignity of all mankind

The Christian ideal has always been–and will always be–every tribe, nation, and tongue coming before God in worship, having been redeemed by the Blood of Christ.
Sadly those that claim the name of Christ often partially or fully reject this fundamental truth of the gospel

That’s what leads to racial abuses among supposedly Christian nations. Racial and ethnic animus is the nature of human sinfulness. Love, reconciliation, unity, and redemption is the nature of Christ and the Gospel

That’s what defeats racism and what defeated slavery. Without Christianity there would be no end of slavery. With it we can call all mankind to freedom in Christ