The early European slave traders and slave owners did not rely on racial differences to excuse their actions. Instead they turned to ancient Greek and Roman texts which justified the enslavement of those captured in war, or at least in ‘just wars’. Providing owners acquired their slaves by legitimate means, slaves were private property and could be disposed of in any way. So it was that John Locke, the English philosopher so much admired by Voltaire, could justify slavery in the 1690s—and, through ownership of shares in the Royal Africa Company, be a beneficiary of the slave trade—yet reject the idea that Africans were intrinsically different to Europeans.
Posted on: Sat, 10 Aug 2013 23:21:20 +0000
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