Slavery: Not Just for Blacks

First of all, I want to say that slavery was America's original sin, and I in no way shape or form condone or support one human being owning another human being. Having said that, the blacks in the United States need to stop with the race-baiting, revisionist history, and selective perception when it comes to slavery in America. People have been taught that evil white Europeans went deep into the jungles of darkest Africa to cosh poor unsuspecting indigenous Negroes on the head and take them into slavery. That may have happened in a very small percentage of cases, but the reality is something far different, and not as cut and dried. The reality is, most African slaves were sold to white European slave traders by people of their own race. Tribes in Africa would fight each other in local conflicts and one of the benefits for the victorious tribe was taking the members of the defeated tribe and selling them into slavery and not just to white Europeans. The Arabs were heavily involved in the trade as well. Arabs also enslaved Eastern European whites. Yes, you read correctly, white Eastern Europeans were sold into slavery. The word Slav means "slave" in Eastern European languages. This trade took place sometime during the 8th and 9th centuries and included whites from the Mediterranean areas, the Caucuses Mountains ( Georgia, Armenia, Circassia) and parts of Scandinavia. The Arabs, as I mentioned before, were also deeply involved in the buying and selling of African slaves as well. It is estimated that the Arabs sold between 11 and 18 million Negroes into slavery from the year 650 to the year 1900! Compare that with the 9 to 12 million slaves sold in the Americas during the Atlantic Slave Trade. It wasn't just the United States that was involved in the Atlantic Slave Trade, Brazil was a big player as well. White Europeans also enslaved each other in the early days of European civilization. The Vikings were notorious for taking people they captured in combat as slaves. Saint Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland was himself captured and sold as a slave. During the Carolingian Dynasty in Germany approximately 20% of the population were slaves. In England, chattel slavery was quite common until the year 1066 when William of Normandy conquered England. Chattel slavery was abolished in 1102. I know many people will say, "So? Who cares that the Arabs, English, and Vikings bought and sold white people?" That all happened centuries ago." Slavery in America didn't end until the Civil War and that wasn't all that long ago comparatively, so white America still hasn't suffered enough or done enough penance for their sins." It's not a question of "suffering enough" or "doing penance for past sins" it's a question of perspective. The fact is IT WASN'T JUST NEGROES THAT WERE FORCED INTO SLAVERY! Besides, the people that took part in the slave trade are all dead! That includes the people who traded in slaves, and the people who were sold into slavery. There is no slavery in America or Europe anymore! Slavery is dead in most parts of the world, save one continent, one region of the earth. That continent is Africa. To this day, tribes in Africa are still fighting, killing, and enslaving each other. The last time I checked, the predominate color of most people in Africa is black, so how can white people be held solely responsible for slavery? All I'm saying is, blacks in the United States need to stop living in the past and realize they have it far better here in America than they would in any African country.

Sources: Spartacus, Wikipedia