[cyborg]

That was not that point, although I understand what you are saying. If there were no buyers here in America, there would have been no sellers. Also, the Europeans, British, in particular, were just taking advantage of dividing and conqueroring warring tribes anyway. American Indians bought and sold other Indians. However, what went on at Goree Island wasn't the invention of some tribe chieftain. You can say it was American businessmen in the South (and the North too).

[7DayRepo]

Africans were selling each other into the Islamic trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean slave trades as early as 650 AD.

What American businessmen were around in 650 AD?

[Steel Wolf]

So, if people in Africa wanted to buy Americans, by your logic it would be okay for me to round up some neighbors, drive them to the coast, and sell them off? If no one wanted to buy Americans, then I wouldn't sell, would I?

They were greedy, just like we were, and sold their fellow man out. No one put a gun to their heads and said, 'Go hunt us some slaves', they did it for profit. No one put a gun to our heads and made us buy them, either. It was also done for profit. I fail to see how we as the former buyers are more culpable than they as the former sellers.

Also, if you buy two slaves and set them free, you're increasing the demand for slaves. More will be rounded up and sold since the merchandise is moving, so you would not in fact be reducing slavery, but fueling it.

[billbears]

If there were no buyers here in America, there would have been no sellers.

Ummmm, no. Less than 10% of the slaves from the slave trade came to these United States

[LaraCroft]

Eff the past, what about the present?

If everyone cares so much about slavery, why aren't they doing whatever it takes to end it now?

Bush aside, where is Jackson, and other great 'civil' rights activists?

[Travis McGee]

You can say it was American businessmen in the South (and the North too).

Slavery of Africans was far from an American monopoly. I think less than 25% of the slaves who crossed the Atlantic wound up in present day America. Most went to plantations in Brazil, the Caribbean etc where diseases killed a far higher number, requiring more frequent replacement.