Timothy Birdnow

Just a quick reminder to everyone who tries to claim America is somehow unique and evil because of slavery; the Netherlands abolished slavery on July 1, 1863. That was six months to the day AFTER slavery was abolished in the South via the Emancipation Proclamation. And the Netherlands have always been considered a paragon of tolerance and liberal virtue.

Just to put things in perspective. The U.S. was far from alone in the practice of slavery. The Islamic world always maintained the practice and does to this very day (to yawns from Black Lives Matter).

Slavery in Spanish territories in the Caribbean lasted even longer; in Puerto Rico until 1873, in Cuba until 1886. The U.S. was a little later than France (1848) and  than Britain (1834). See here

The decline of sugar production had a lot to do with it, not moral scruples, I might add.
Both in the Caribbean and in New England, which stopped profiting from rum production when the French started making rum in the sugar isles.

(It should further be pointed out that the British did a step-down to end slavery, having a paid apprenticeship for former slaves so they could be educated and properly established as citizens, something that didn't happen in the U.S. where former slaves were simply dumped on their own resources.)

Slavery is the world's oldest institution, probably predating even prostitution (which presupposes a woman is free enough to withhold sex in the first place.) It is a terrible, evil institution and 1863 was a year we should all celebrate.

Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at 10:36 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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