The Crime of Slavery

 The Crime of Slavery

Peter Schultz

    Baptist, in his book The Half Never Told, argues that the slaves, by
using the word "stole," "made it clear that this common story was a
crime story. Buying and selling people was a crime. Buyers and
sellers were criminals." (187) And for Baptist this was a radical
change in the debates around slavery.

    But he also points out that "Instead of being individual misfortunes,
enslaved people realized their own experiences were part of a giant
historical robbery, a forced transfer of value that they saw ... in ...
widening clearings, cotton bales ..., and slave coffles...."

    Well, this "giant historical robbery" was the result of imperialism and
empire. Slavery was just one manifestation of this imperialism and
empire. Hence, defeating slavery requires critiques of imperialism
and empire, and calling slavers "kidnappers" is insufficient. 

    Labeling slavery a "crime" will not coalesce with anti-slavery politics. Unless
imperialism and empire are critiqued and rejected, slavery - in one
form or another - will go on. After all, slavery is as "natural" as
imperialism and empire.