How did I miss this comment?! Slavery is directly in opposition with the absolute truth that "ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL"; liberty is a universal "right", remember? Therefore, how can slavery be a cultural issue? Man, you are thoroughly confused and mixed up, and the reason is that you have no true moral compass. When you finally see and understand that God is the source or absolute morals and rights, only then will you be able to argue coherently on this topic.
This was easily circumvented by asserting that Africans are subhuman.
There were arguments based on "science" and arguments based on religion -- Africans were descendents of Ham and were being punished by God.
All of these arguments seem absurd now, but they were believed in their time. Which goes to show that evil people will find a way to rationalize their deeds, using whatever the prevailing ideology or theology happens to be.
If God cannot declare as moral an immoral act, then morality must be a thing that exists independently of God. I and others have repeatedly tried to make this point, but I suspect we'd have better luck stapling jello to the wall.
If the matter of the existence of God was unequivocally put to rest tomorrow, my life would be affected not at all. I would continue to live in the exact same way. How about you?
The DoI says that rights are endowed by a "Creator." Why are you so sure that the Creator mentioned is the one worshipped by you? It is sufficient that individuals have rights as a function of their existence. If you wish to label that phenomenon God, feel free.
Where is "ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL" in the bible? Is it listed in the section that gives the rules for slave-ownership? Is it in the part about how the Jews, being the chosen people, were to kill or drive off every other people in the Holy Land?