The middle of the eighteenth century and the next century is well remembered by the historical events that changed and directed the development of the social and political system of the majority of the countries for next centuries, and the principles of democracy, social contract, and equality that were first proclaimed by French philosophers of Enlightenment are the basis for the modern legislature and mainly all spheres of social relationships, they also formed our modern mentality. No wonder here comes a question about the contradiction of these principles with the existed slavery both in USA, that proclaimed the ideas of democracy and liberty, and in French colonies, with a very enlightened and liberal metropolis. As the supporters of slavery argued, slavery was secured by the Bible, and slaves were considered to be the property, so the abolition of slavery was seen by them as the breaking their right for owning property. Moreover even though that capitalist and market relations, that began to develop and widely spread in most of the developed countries, pushed the level of goods production on the new stage more progressive and prosperous, as it was in Old World, where slave labor was not used at all in the industry or agriculture, in the New World, where there was a lot of virgin territories for agriculture and goods production, there was not enough labor, so slaves, as the plantation owners thought were the only labor that could be used, and the moral side of the question was of no interest for them. Thats why all the importance and observance of proclaimed democratic principles of equality was worth nothing because of the existed slavery. It just one more time highlighted the absurd, groundless and immoral theory of superiority of white men. It was democracy for chosen, very limited and that depended upon the heritage of the person, not his personal traits. Buy custom essays Fredrick Douglas highlighted it in his speech What to slave is the Fourth of July, stating that everyone had been created equal, and it was stated not just in the principles and dogmas of Christianity, but in the Declaration of independence as well. He stated that all men are equal, and social division can not be done just by the race, heritage, and that slavery was breaking the main right of the man, which was guaranteed by the law, the right for life and freedom. And how could a man have freedom without having freedom over his own body. custom essays Douglass speech more than opened, the very truth of slavery in the USA, showing that it was a real and shameful breaking of all the existed laws that defended the integrity of the human, his life, destiny, freedom and democratic moral. Research papers & custom essays |
