This runs against the common narrative that it is only with the various Enlightenments that slavery was subsequently challenged. With some notable exceptions, Enlightenment thinkers were either silent on the topic or decidedly ambiguous. In fact, the institution that most often was the target of many Enlightenment thinkers—the Catholic Church—turns out to have been consistent and early in its condemnation of slavery.
Read Full Article »Catholicism and Slavery: Setting the Record Straight
It’s easy to forget that the institution of slavery has constituted a social norm in human history. From the grand perspective of time, its supporters and defenders have far outnumbered its critics and condemners. ...
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