Early American society was far from the perfect place for many groups of individuals. Individuals were marginalized based upon their sex, socioeconomic status, religion and race. Of all the groups that were marginalized, African-Americans suffered to the greatest extent. They were forced to work for free for slave owners. They were abused, punished, and often killed by their slave owners. In the book Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World by David Brion Davis, the history of slavery is examined in a new way. Davis utilized this book to ask questions that had never been previously approached by historical scholars on this controversial topic. The author believes that slavery needs to be examined in new ways in order to facilitate an understanding of it.
In the work, the author discusses why slavery became associated with Africa and Africa-Americans. It is just as easy for another race of people to become associated with it. However, the author believes that the dark skin tone of the Africans led to their enslavement. He believes that their skin color was associated with negative connotations. For instance, dirt and mud and other dirty things in the world tend to be black. Therefore, it became easy for society to view those with darker skin tones in a negative manner; Africans were associated with dirt and being filthy as a race. This is an important concept. If society begins to explore this concept, they may become more likely to discover how to prevent the mistreatment of future groups in society.
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The author also examines the historical basis of slavery. He questioned why humans would become slaves in the first place. He linked this to the method by which humans have enslaved animals. Humans have created “beasts of burden” out of many creatures, such as oxen and horses. He recognizes that there is a common thread between how animals have been treated and how humans have been treated. Slaves have been treated in much of the same way as animals have been treated. Humans have been forced to wear metal and leather collars. Slaves have been given names that are similar to the names that animals have been given. In a tragic example, slaves have also been branded with hot irons. This is, of course, how cattle are marked by their owners. Essentially, humans went from treating cattle and oxen as beasts of burden to treating their fellow humans as beasts of burden.
He also points out strongly that slavery is a man-made institution. Just as slavery was created by humans, it was destroyed by humans. This also needs to be examined. If humans can create something, humans may also destroy it. There is both tragedy and triumph in this. He questions why slavery was accepted before the American Revolution, but people began to question it after the American Revolution. This, of course, is multifactorial with regards to how society had advanced morally and philosophically. The Enlightenment allowed men to question why people should be considered slaves in their daily lives. It forced people to consider these moral questions in a new light. It helped lead to the American Revolution and the French Revolution. It also helped lead to the Haitian Slave Revolt. People began to see slaves as individuals who were worthy of freedom. They began to recognize the moral issues associated with enslavement. This, of course, was a massive paradigm shift within the global society.
In this book, the author questions slavery in a new way. He believes that an approach to the topic should focus on a number of methodologies. This includes questioning why slavery occurred in the first place. It likely occurred because Africans were considered sub-human due to their darker skin complexion. This tragic belief stemmed from the idea that darkness and dirt were evil. Furthermore, the author questions why slavery was acceptable until one moment in history. Overall, it is an excellent book.
