Elizabeth's Blog

  The pro-slavery argument is a book written by William Harper in the early 19th century while slavery was a huge debate that was ripping the harmony away from America. To say that there were two sides to this issue is false because this was not a black-and-white issue. Some people were strictly abolitionists who believed that slavery should be abolished completely, some people believed that there should simply be more protection for slaves, while some people believed that slavery was acceptable and that the practice should continue. That is where William Harper stood.  I always wondered what compelled people who supported slavery to first hold that opinion but to verbalize it as publically and proudly that they did. So, when I was reading and researching William Harper I really wanted to grasp and understand his mindset. I think the pro-slavery argument is based on three ideas which are as follows: Pride, selfishness, and deception.  There is an anonymous quote that says...

 In modern America, many practicing Christians have an issue with slavery, specifically slavery in early America. Today Christianity promotes values of goodness, kindness, and love which are opposite of the values possessed by slave owners throughout American History. These slaveowners were also practicing Christians and were using the bible to justify the slave trade in America.  The first thing to consider is that the issue of slavery is more complex than Christians having a difference of opinion on the interpretation of the bible on Slavery. Politics and economic standings played a major role in people's opinions on this matter, but the basis of the religious interpretation of slavery is the root of the disagreement.  A notable text using Christianity to support slavery was written in 1843 by Josiah Priest. In this text, he claims that God created African people to be slaves. He claimed that each of Noah's sons was of a different race, and Noah's black son was named Ha...