Column #305      July 9, 2021Christian Slaves in Algiers

A lot of folks, from both sides of the aisle, think they know the history of slavery. But what they know is mostly what’s in the MSM and what they remember from grade school. Very few people really know its history. In other words, what they don’t know would fill most of the history books ever written. So, let’s do a quick overview of slavery’s history and highlight some interesting points.

To begin with, slavery rarely occurred among hunter-gatherer populations. Mass slavery requires economic surpluses, upper and middle class members of society, and high population-density to be viable. That’s why it was only after the invention of agriculture during the Neolithic Revolution, about 11,000 years ago, that it became viable.1

There are many myths about who enslaved whom? But that question has a simple answer: “It’s everyone.” Except for Eskimos in the far north, slave owners and slaves spanned the full gamut of humanity. In other words, slave owners and slaves included all nationalities, all races, all religions, all political positions, all ages, and both sexes. Owning people has been a normal practice for more than 10,000 years and slavery has occurred in every country on Earth. If any one of us explored our family history far enough back in time, we’d probably discover both a slaveholder and a slave in our background. Some whites may not have to look that far back in time to find ancestors who were white slaves in North America. That’s in spite of a good many of the first white slaves dying of poor working conditions soon after being imported as slaves.2 3 4

Before the American Civil War some blacks actually came to North America as free men and women. But there’s no question most of them came as slaves. Between 1500 and 1900 the slave trade literally exported millions of blacks from Africa to scores of countries everywhere. Unfortunately, most Americans believe that it was the Europeans and Americans who were capturing the native Africans. But the capturing process was a domestic African industry run by powerful African tribes.

One of the more prominent tribes was the African Asante Empire that resided in what is now Ghana, Africa. It was a prominent player in the 1700-1870's slave trade. The Asante people owned many slaves and they routinely raided neighboring tribes for the sole purpose of enslaving people for their own use and for marketing to foreign buyers. Consequently the vast majority of black Africans exported to North America and elsewhere as slaves were purchased from black slave owners. (The Kente cloth, which some American politicians have used to highlight police brutality against blacks, is deeply intertwined with the history of the Ashanti nation.)5 6

In reviewing the history of slavery in the Americas we find that the Incas and native North American Indians had slaves thousands of years before Europeans arrived. Native Indians were also taken as slaves by the settlers. The idea that “1619" was the beginning of black slavery in, what is now, the USA is not correct. The first African slaves arrived via Santo Domingo to the San Miguel de Gualdape colony (present-day South Carolina) founded by Spanish explorer Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón in 1526. Yes, the first black slaves were owned by Spaniards. Interestingly, by the mid-1800s, before the end of the Civil War, there were about 4,000 American black slave owners. That really complicates the current reparations arguments being bandied about by some folks. How do we figure out which blacks have to pay reparations and which ones receive reparations?7 8 9 10

After the signing of the Declaration of Independence from England in 1776, the colonial representatives rushed home to form constitutional states. Did you know that when Vermont’s constitution was ratified in July 1777, the state had banned slavery outright? There were only about 25 slaves in the state in 1770, but the idea of abolishing slavery was certainly gaining traction in a few places around the world and in the fledgling nation to be known as the United States of America.11

Many US states outlawed the Atlantic slave trade during the revolution which ended in 1783. By 1805 all Northern states had abolished slavery to some degree but traditions died slowly. There were still hundreds of slaves in the Northern states as late as the 1840 Census. The import-trade was banned by Congress in 1808, although smuggling continued. At the same time the freeing of slaves was gaining in popularity. Before the Civil War some slave owners in the Upper South freed their slaves. There were also instances of philanthropists and charitable groups buying and freeing slaves.12

The American Civil War abolished slavery as it was once practiced in the United States. But how has the rest of the world progressed? In a few words, it’s been slow. The USA was not the first, but it was far from the last country to abolish slavery. Wikipedia has an interesting article about the “Timeline of Abolition of Slavery and Serfdom.” The first entry is: “590–604, Rome, Pope Gregory I bans Jews from owning Christian slaves.” The last entry is: “Present, Worldwide, Although slavery is now abolished de jure in all countries, de facto practices akin to it continue today in many places throughout the world, almost exclusively in Africa and Asia.”13

Slavery most certainly continues today—even in the USA. In some countries, such as China, Russia, many African nations, India, Venezuela, and the Mideast, there are still millions of slaves especially when counting human trafficking. Human trafficking is a worldwide problem. What’s really appalling is that our government is currently aiding and abetting human trafficking especially with its current border “policy.” Here are the types of slavery existing today:
●    Slavery by Descent and Chattel Slaver
●    Government-forced Labor and Conscription
●    Prison Labor
●    Bonded Labor
●    Forced Migrant Labor
●    Sex Slavery
●    Forced Marriage and Child Marriage
●    Child Labor
●    Fishing Industry Shanghaiing
●    Forced Begging14

Evil still exists in the world. In spite of our current government structure, the United States remains as one of the freest countries on earth. But there is a sinister movement underway that has a grip on our Federal government, Federal agents and military, and many of the people staffing our state and local governments. This movement seeks more topdown control over the common man. The school systems and the MSM are almost solidly in the big government camp. Big business wants more control over the marketplace. As their combined socialist-dictatorial agendas press forward there’s a point where their control will morph into one or more of the modern forms of slavery.

Mankind has always shown a remarkable ability for its inhumane treatment of other humans. People who have power over others tend to lose their minds. This is why freedom is so critical and why nobody in their right mind would want to give government bureaucrats any power over their lives. When government agents come knocking at your door, you have every right to be fearful.

Sometimes people say that sticking with the real diet of man is similar to being in bondage. But deciding on your own what to eat is voluntary so it’s certainly not comparable to involuntary servitude. Compare these two tactics.
●    Eat a steady diet of low glycemic, nutrient dense and diverse foods with 1:1 ratios of essential fatty acids and be free of debilitating chronic diseases and have a stronger immune system.
●    Eat the standard American diet (SAD) and develop chronic disease issues, be more vulnerable to diseases, and become dependent on drugs and operations for survival.
To me, being in the belly of the medical-pharmaceutical beast is more like bondage than eating a healthy diet.

Being drug dependent takes away way more freedoms than deciding which meat and vegetable to eat for dinner. But some people just don’t see it that way. They want total freedom to eat what pleases them and they’ll gladly pay the healthcare piper. It’s a free country, so that’s okay—for them.

To your health.

Ted Slanker

Ted Slanker has been reporting on the fundamentals of nutritional research in publications, television and radio appearances, and at conferences since 1999. He condenses complex studies into the basics required for health and well-being. His eBook, The Real Diet of Man, is available online.

Don't miss these links for additional reading:

1. History of Slavery from Wikipedia

2. Indian Slavery and Slaves from Access Genealogy

3. The Cruelties of the Algerine Pirates, Shewing the Present Dreadful State of the English Slaves, and Other Europeans, at Algiers and Tunis with the Horrid Barbarities by Captain Walter Croker publication date 1816

4. The Forgotten History of Britain's White Slaves in America by Janet Levy from American Thinker

5. Kente: Not Just Any Old Cloth by Jessica Achberger from Ultimate History Project

6. Slavery in Africa from Wikipedia

7. Slavery in the Asante Empire of West Africa by Lipton Matthews from Mises Wire

8. Slavery in Contemporary Africa from Wikipedia

9. Black Slave Owners in the United States from Ironbark Resources

10. Slavery in the Colonial History of the United States from Wikipedia

11. History of Slavery in Vermont from Wikipedia

12. Slavery in the United States from Wikipedia

13. Timeline of Abolition of Slavery and Serfdom from Wikipedia

14. Slavery in the 21st Century from Wikipedia