Slaves: The Capital that Made Capitalism, The Notion of Race and Identity

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Slavery and the Pitfalls of Capitalism
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November 27, 2017
Introduction
As of today, the American nation is deemed to be one of the freest nations in the world, espousing principles and ideals of liberty and equality for each and every one. The nation prides itself on these ideas as not only the product of today’s efforts but as the main bastions on which the forefathers used to build this very nation. However, this does not remove an utterly bitter past that this notion of “equality”, was once more of a privilege rather than a right. What I am trying to point out here is America’s history of slavery. From the years 1700 to 1807, the west has engaged in one of largest slavery trades, ferrying throngs of people from West Africa to the New World, in order to utilize them as raw manpower (Rediker). Viewed from the humanitarian perspective, this unchangeable history of the African-Americans could be seen as “inhumane”. However, viewed from a much larger one, it could also be seen that this part of history has set in motion a series of shifts in the personal and societal level that would impact our lives today. On one hand, the slave trade that happened during the 18th century has impacted individuals on a more personal level, as the concept of race has become ‘blurred’ and/or less distinct. On the other hand, the slave trade has also helped Capitalism to become one of the defining aspects of the American nation, as we know it today. It must be noted, however, that in relation to the ideas of Blackburn, Lincoln, and Marx (2011), many would argue that the slave trade could not be considered as a form of Capitalism for the fact that the slaves do not work for wages. Yet, I believe that slavery is and should be considered as a form of capitalism for its inherent structure, as well as one of the main reasons for our inclination towards such mode of production. Thus, in this article, I would first discuss the “after effects” of the slave trade (particularly chattel slaves) on both the individual and the societal level, with regards to themes of racial identity and capitalism.
The Notion of Race and Identity
Although freedom from the oppressive structure of slavery has already been achieved by the African-Americans, equality in its most ideal sense has just been a relatively recent milestone. This was because of the fact that even if the constitution espoused themes of equality from the very start, it was initially meant for the “citizens” of the American nation. From this notion of citizenship comes the idea of “race”. During those times, our people believed that people from “race of the slaves” are not meant to be given the title of citizenship, and thus the rights entitled for them. However, despite the centuries-long battle for equality, the concept of equality is not yet fully achieved as it still exists, especially in terms of wage, literacy, and other aspects of our lives. The reason as to why I’m saying this is because first and foremost the classifications of the race had they always been wrong, from the very beginning (Gilro...