How the West Abolished Slavery

Campus Report ^ | September 25, 2008 | Lance Nation

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How The West Abolished Slavery

by: Lance Nation, September 25, 2008

In the opening remarks of a recent Cato Institute event, David Boaz, the executive vice-president of the Cato Institute, asked an important question, “How is it that slavery went unchallenged for thousands of years, but disappeared in a single century?” Answering this question was James “Jim” Powell, a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute.

Taking from his new book, Greatest Emancipation: How the West Abolished Slavery, Jim Powell explained the importance Thomas Clarkson played in ending the slave trade.

“[A British citizen in the 18th Century], Clarkson originally believed the slave trade to be too heavily entrenched in British society. Being an island, England relied heavily upon the British Royal Navy for protection. The navy and society viewed the slave trade as a ‘nursery for sailors’ that could be quickly called upon to serve in the navy.” Dr. Powell explained how Clarkson understood that only when British society viewed the slave trade as harmful would people consider abolishing it.

“Clarkson was able to prove that the slave trade hurt the capability of the British Royal Navy to mobilize large number of sailors quickly . . . Shocking numbers of sailors die in the slave trade, more than in any other commerce . . . The slave trade was soon considered the ‘graveyard for sailors.’” Clarkson was able to present the slave trade as harmful to British society, yet had to convince the government that society no longer endorsed the slave trade.

“Clarkson soon began to give speeches. He collected shackles, whips, leg braces, neck braces, thumb screws, and all kinds of tools used to discipline slaves . . . He talked about shocking practices, for example the practice of dumping the sick slaves overboard to drown...

[hosepipe]

[ How The West Abolished Slavery ]

Actually the book should be on "How The West Abolished Slavery AND instituted SERFDOM to replace it".. As Bob Dylan says in one of his songs, "You gotta serve some one"... Today many slaves have no idea they are slaves and actually vote even more slavery on themselves.. these people are called Democrats and RINOs.. The RINOs are also crazy.. mental defectives..

[applpie]

It appears the author ignored the efforts of philanthropist and politician William Wilberforce.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Bookmarked.

See also, “Black Rednecks and White Liberals” by Thomas Sowell; the second half of the book is on this topic.

[Frank L]

>It appears the author ignored the efforts of philanthropist and politician William Wilberforce.

And those of his pastor, former slave trader, John Newton.