Introduction
The connection between Christianity and social status for Africans in early modern Europe was one that was marred by exploitation and at the same time respect and recognition (Collins & Taylor 16). Simply because Africans were not Christians, they were viewed as lesser beings as compared to their white counterparts. To most whites, the black community was of no threat to them at all. For this reason, they were exploited as slaves, with a thick line being drawn between the two races (Earle & Lowe 107). This practice of forced labor, therefore, went on for many centuries within the Christian religion, becoming a major factor affecting the European economy and their way of life. The paper discusses the connection between Christianity and African people in early Europe, with a critical analysis of the same.
Main body
Influential personalities like Saint Augustine supported this practice, while Saint Patrick on the other hand advocated strongly against it. The common ground was that both those who were for and against the practice used Christian teachings to support their respective points. In Europe therefore the debate on Christianity and slavery caused a lot of conflicts with some people arguing that the Old Testament advocated for slavery while disputing whether the New Testament advocated against this degrading practice. One thing for sure was that it was only Christian teachings that spoke against these actions and practices that exploited and looked down upon a certain human race (Babington 148). With this in mind, the Christian religious leaders acknowledged that they were the ones with the ability to try and end the belittlement and segregation of these minorities and the weak in society. Their desire was to see Christians live in peace and harmony, respecting each others’ abilities and characteristics for the growth of a united human race. This was a very tough task on their hands considering that the same European Christians were the ones who came up with a travel and migration mechanism that moved black slaves from their ancestral lands to Europe.
The slaves were forcefully migrated since they were not given any choice and ended up working in the white peoples’ farms in Europe. It was slavery that led to the spread of religion in America as a result of the colonial societies that they created with each other by trading in slave labor. As a result of this alliance, by the mid-seventeenth century there were thousands of slaves doing forced labor in South America, where they were taken by the European Christians, thus making the latter the largest slave investors in the area (Milwood 29). They even went ahead to justify their actions by quoting Paul in the bible as instructing slaves and their masters respectively to honor their duties as directed to each other. With this, they termed slavery as a sacred act that was recognized in the bible.
Even the theologians with reference to the bible made a conclusion that Africans suffered because they were descendants of Ham and therefore were cursed. This argument was supported by the teachings of Saint Augustine, that one of the penalties of the sinful behavior of man was slavery and that sin made it essential for authorities to establish the institution of slavery. In the Old Testament, Ham and his descendants were condemned by Noah saying “Cursed be Canaan, the lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers” (Genesis 9:25, cited in Milwood 98). Christians in Europe as well as the Muslims from the Far East believed that the black Africans were the descendants of Ham, leading to the Christians’ justification of this practice of slavery, claiming that Africans were the cursed lot.
The truth is that the bible does allow some regulated levels of slavery setting some standards that were supposed to protect the rights of the victims (Milwood 98). In the New Testament’s book of Hebrews, it was unacceptable to murder slaves and even forcefully put them to work on the Sabbath. There were occasions when people willingly offered themselves to slavery so as to be able to pay off some debts. Some people volunteered to be able to get something for their stomachs and a roof to lay their heads under. For this reason, they were supposed to be treated just like the other employed servants. It was okay to keep slaves that were acquired as a result of war as long as it was not a kidnap. In a case whereby a slave’s rights were violated, he or she was supposed to be compensated. With these bible stories, the advocators of slavery passionately defended this business when at the same time the opponents went ahead campaigning for its end. They claimed that Jesus in the New Testament opposed the act of slavery.
Christianity, seen as a major factor that led to the rise and growth of slavery also played a major role as well in trying to end it (Babington 1846). Movements against this vice were created, becoming very active in championing the rights of everybody irrespective of race and background. These groups defined the new kind of cultural and economic policies that were supposed to lead towards a harmonious and peaceful coexistence with minimal conflicts. They and different other individuals took a spiritual path seeking divine intervention and putting a lot of energy and time in the quest of winning this battle. The message against slavery spread so fast to America, where the Catholic religious leaders took the forefront in passing the message of equal rights for everyone.
These were the same Catholics who had spent a better part of their lives in these areas spreading Christianity to the Africans who lived as slaves in the area. They focused more on ending the Atlantic slave trade rather than the holding. This was to discourage the kidnapping and forceful migration of Africans who were then forced to labor. They tried to make it impossible for the traders to justify the kidnappings and therefore term it a sin. The protests by these movements caused a lot of conflicts as their proponents never gave up and instead went on for several years. For example in Havana, some missionaries were excommunicated for trying to minister to and convince slaveholders to grant slaves their freedom. Their message was that all people were equal and deserved equal opportunities.
In Europe, people enjoyed a great amount of freedom for expression and therefore members of the movements were able to air out their voices with a relative amount of ease. In England for example, one of the major voices against slavery was a man by the name of William Wilberforce. He said that his mission by God was to end the slave trade and to change the cultural morals of his society for the betterment of everyone irrespective of his or her race or place in the society. For somebody like Charles Spurgeon who was a renowned preacher from England, his preaching was not allowed in America because of his strong advocacy against the slave trade.
In the United States, the campaign against the slave trade faced a lot of opposition and at times even encountered some violent acts by the proponents of the slave trade (Phillips 168). The postmaster general even went as far as disallowing the sending of emails that had booklets with the anti-slavery message. Even with these happenings, the religious leaders of various denominations combined their efforts encouraged by the situation in Europe to forge ahead. They went ahead to free their slaves and encouraged the church membership of the black community. The Roman Catholics were also not left behind in this historic movement. They raised loud voices speaking against this practice that violated human rights based on their color and background. In the mid-seventeenth century, the pope made a powerful general statement that demanded an end to the slave trade. In the early eighteenth century, the catholic Pope demanded that the political class in Vienna should put in place laws that would end the slave trade. In the mid-eighteenth century the then Pope spoke against the trade in Supreme Apostolate and in the late same century, the Pope once again spoke against it in Plum iris.
In analyzing the readings, I believe that the first reading on “Racial purity or legal clarity: The status of black residents in the eighteenth century”, does not talk about Christianity. It looks more at the drafted legal laws that protected the interest of the whites and the black communities. It also looks at the disparity in terms of social status between the whites and the black Africans.
The second reading on “Christianity and the campaign against slavery and the slave trade” talks about Christianity. It describes its role in enslaving the black Africans in early Europe as well as the role it played in liberating them. It suggests that as much as Christianity played a major role in bringing about slavery and the slave trade, it was also influential in ending the practice.
The third reading on “Mobility in chains: Freedom of movement in early black Atlantic” talks about Christianity. It describes the Christians’ greed for money that led to the forceful migration of black Africans to settle and work in their European farms. It gives an insight into the various slavery methods that were enacted in different parts of Europe.
The fourth reading on “Britons never will be slaves: National myths, conservatism, and the beginnings of British antislavery” talks about Christianity. It gives a detailed description of how the British movements fought against slavery and the role played by Christian religious leaders. It also points out the contribution of different individuals in the campaign for the abolition of the slave trade.
The fifth reading on “Race, slavery, and the law in early modern France” does not talk about Christianity. It looks more on the rise and growth of slavery in France. It describes the laws in early France and how they protected the blacks who had migrated to Europe.
Conclusion
It is important to mention that selfish interpretation of spiritual scriptures largely contributed to Africans being viewed as lesser human beings as compared to others. It led to the perception that Africans were of the cursed descendants and their segregation was justified. They were therefore of a lower social status simply because they were not Christians and therefore deserved to be exploited. The above readings affirm this argument since they give in-depth information on the history of slavery and the slave trade. They show how religion was interpreted to justify the abuse of other people’s rights based on race. At the same time, it became a major contributing factor to the low social standards of Africans. Christianity also became the bridge that led Africans in Europe to liberation. Therefore, there were two sides of a coin to this story.
Works Cited
Babington, Churchill. The influence of Christianity in promoting the abolition of slavery in Europe. Cambridge: Macmillan, 1846.
Collins & Taylor, Peter. Early modern Europe: Issues and interpretations. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell, 2006.
Earle Peter & Lowe, Kate. Black Africans in renaissance Europe. Cambridge: University press, 2005.
Milwood, Robinson. European Christianity and the Atlantic slave trade: A black hermeneutical study. Indiana: Bloomington, 2007.
Phillips, William. Translantic trade. Manchester: Manchester university press, 1985.