Slavery

The question of why slavery has found a prominent spot in the history books of America while the history of conquest still seems to be mostly overlooked is one that has no easy answer.

During the era when the lands here in America were being conquered the historians saw this as a time when the conquests were for the better good. Every piece of land that was taken was done with the belief that it would better benefit the country and all its’ citizens. For example when the land of the Aztecs was conquered it was largely because the Aztecs had control of the waterways and was not overly generous with allowing other tribes use of the waterways. Also some of the people did not feel as if they were being treated fairly. This was reason enough for the Spaniards to believe that the actions they took to conquer the Aztecs was justified. They also believed that everyone should have a belief in God and if not then they would be strongly encouraged to alter their beliefs.

The reason the story of slavery is so prominent in history is because it resonates so personally with each and every American citizen in one way or another. The nature of slavery was so violent and cruel that it totally divided a country. If we would take a closer look at slavery we will see why historians had spent so much time on it and why it has found such an important place in not only history but also in our lives today. The idea of bringing a people from the only place they knew to a land thousands of miles away and then selling them to be used “work horses” and as bed warmers in any way that pleased their owners is something that will forever be imbedded in the human mind. The thought of people of one race being used beaten and treated as though they were not human is something that we as a free people do not need to ever forget. We as American citizens need to be able to go back and study the effect this had on not only the African American race but also on America as a nation. The owning of...