- In chapter V, how does Sloan use the stories about Abraham and passages from the law given to Moses (at least according to the Bible) to legitimate the institution of slavery?
In Chapter five, Sloan uses various instances about Abraham and passages of the law to showcase how slavery was a part of everyday life based on the Bible and how God never punished anyone because they had servants. Sloan argues that Abraham had many properties, including oxen, camels, sheep, maidservants, and menservants (89). According to Sloan, the Bible says, “And when Abraham heard that his brother had been taken captive, he armed his trained servants that consisted of three hundred and eighteen born in his own house, and proceeded with them to Dan” (89). Sloan provides this text without showcasing an instance where God condemns the act of Abraham enslaving and having servants in his home. He somehow convinces his readers that the word “servant” means slave by providing more passages and emphasizing them. Drawing his arguments from the law given to Moses, Sloan argues that slavery was recognized universally in the Mosaic institutions by the ancient world (105). Sloan argues that in certain situations, slavery was permitted. For instance, from the book of Exodus, a man guilty of theft and was too poor to pay his debts was to be sold. He attempts to legitimize slavery by suggesting that regardless that God had liberated the Israelites from being a slave in Egypt, slavery was still not entirely prohibited and was permitted in particular situations, as long as these slaves were seen as communal members.
However, the author fails to argue that slavery was not a permanent solution in the time of Moses and Abraham but was voluntary, temporal, and people received humane treatment. The author wants to make it seem like the bible passages allowed the type of slavery that equally exploited and placed certain people in permanent hostile situations. Sloan has selected specific passages about purchasing and possessing to justify buying and selling Africans as slaves.
- In chapter IV of The Great Question Answered, what does Sloan say about Noah and Ham, and how does he use these claims to legitimate slavery? In chapter VII, What proper social relations between slave owners and slaves does Sloan outline? What biblical passages does he cite to legitimate the relations of domination he recommends? Briefly, how does Sloan use wage labor as an example to make slavery seem preferable by comparison?
Sloan uses the example of Noah and his son, Ham, citing that it is the origin of discrimination based on color among distinct families in the human race. He argues that the story of Ham is the origin of slavery as a punishment for sin. Sloan states, “the announcement of Noah was not merely a foretelling of the place Ham and his lineage would occupy and how they should be treated, but God had sentenced Ham’s lineage through degrading him and his offspring by ensuring they receive poor treatment and become servants for the rest of their lives” (87). Sloan attempts to justify the punishment of Ham to slavery after he saw the nakedness of his father. The Bible does not mention anything about color and slavery, although Sloan argues that Ham and his land Canaan were people of color who were cursed to be slaves. Again, the author argues that being a servant equates to being a slave. He makes Ham black and his descendants Africans, living in poor lands and cursed to serve prestigious, valuable whites for eternity. Sloan legitimizes slavery by making it seem like the Bible, through the many ways people were servants, authorizes mistreatment and treatment of others like animals. Sloan mentions that there were proper social relations between a slave and slave owner. For instance, he argues that there are lawful and innocent social relations, where a slave is supposed to perform the duties of their relation. Punishment here happens when one neglects their duties (Sloan 218).
Sloan uses the example of Genesis chapter 14 to sow the domination of a slave owner to their slaves. He writes, “father Abraham had three hundred and eighteen servants, but all were trained and instructed” (227). He shows that there was natural domination and morality on slave owners controlling and setting rules on their relationships with their servants. Sloan justifies slavery by using wage labor when he argues that a slave who could not pay their debts would be bought to pay off their debts since this was better than suffering in poverty.
- What is essentialism? In chapter III and his concluding remarks, how does Sloan essentialize humans in general, and Blacks in particular, in a way that functions to legitimate the domination of whites over Blacks?
Essentialism is interpreted as a belief that there exist underlying natures that encompass and distinguish social categories. It encompasses the tendency of humans to grasp social categories as expressions of natural, fixed, and defining aspects shared by all members and which are informative about them. Essentialist beliefs tend to legitimize existing social ranks and acceptance of racial inequality. In Chapter three, Sloan essentializes humans by making it sound like some situations are permanent. That inequality is necessary since it started way back and is supported by the Bible. Sloan states, “a system of complete equality does not seem to be per the bible and with God” (48). He argues that there must be a gradation from the highest to the lowest and that the harmony of the universe is formed through mutual dependency (48). Therefore, he suggests that racial inequality is an aspect of daily lifestyle, which creates harmony and mutual dependency between African slaves and their white masters. To Sloan, a person with the most power, granted to them by their creator, has the right to use it to their advantage. In his concluding remarks, Sloan is confident that subordination is the necessary human condition between whites and blacks. He restates the example of Ham, Shem, and Japheth to argue that racism is a direct act of God which are in harmony with historical facts.
Sloan argues that a black man has never been able to advance in the arts of civilized life when left alone (287). He suggests that the only reason blacks are getting better lifestyles is that whites have enabled them to become civilized. He outlines that the situation of blacks depending on whites for everything has always been permanent, beginning from the descendants of Ham as servants. He further argues that a black man can never be genuinely thrilled, elevated, beneficial, and satisfied by themselves unless under the control of dominant whites.
Work Cited
Sloan, James A. The Great Question Answered: Or, Is Slavery a Sin in Itself (per Se?) Answered According to the Teaching of the Scriptures. Hutton, Gallaway & Company, 1857.
