Thoughts on slavery

Thinking about slavery. And families. And people.

There are people who have claimed slaves were treated like family. And other people, rightly, pointing out that, no, that wasn't true. Including that the very fact of being, legally, property, is different than being family. But I was thinking, both of those viewpoints seem to be assuming "treated like family" is a good thing. Usually true. But not always the case. Abuse within families is very real.

Of course, on average family were treated significantly better than slaves, I think it's safe to say. But also, with all the variations in how slaves were treated, and how family was (and is) treated, one thing was universal. Slaves couldn't leave. Legally bound to stay. Family more freedom. Adult males, free to leave. Children, women, less so. Not the same freedom to leave as an adult white male. But still more free than a slave.

And, though I'm not an expert on the time period, I imagine people would have been more likely to want to intervene to help someone experiencing abuse in their family than with slaves, and also much more legally able to.

Society is a complex thing. But some things are fairly simple. And people being considered, legally, to be property is a nasty thing. It's human trafficking endorsed by and enforced by the legal system.