Blog Post # 5: Captains and Slaves

Can they just make up their minds?

It is amazing to see that since the 1600s there were people who openly opposed slavery. It is also amazing and disheartening that even though, that was the case, slavery still became such a huge business all over the world. As seen in Oroonoko and in Captains and Slaves, slavery was not thought of as being a bad thing, instead it was some fait that resulted from a lawful war that was lost. If your side lost, the opposing side could take you as a slave (regardless of race) and it would be considered morally right. The problem began when only the black population of the world started to be taken as slaves, and they were not a result of a lawful war. According to Aprah Benh and John Locke, the way in which slavery is done is what makes it wrong or right. The thing that supports the idea that Aphra Benh is not opposed to slavery is due to the fact that Oroonoko is described as one who captured, owned and traded slaves. This makes a lot of sense if seen from that point of view, however, it is still not enough to conclude on that. I still don’t feel comfortable o say that she was an advocate of slavery.

Tryon, John Duston and Richard Baxter, unlike Aphra Benh and John Locke, make it very clear that they think slavery is a horrible crime. John Duston said that ‘making a lawful purchase of slaves was no less culpable than a slave trader. Accessory is just as bad as the thief’; John Duston said that slavery is ‘inconsistent with Christian principles’.

Blog Post #5