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How Did Christianity Influence The Slave Trade In The 19th Century

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The fact that the Europeans enslaved millions of Africans and transported them to America to boost the development of the new world is undebatable. The relatively small white population was well aware the expansion of this new land depended entirely on forced labor and could only survive through methods of absolute domination. The concept that Christianity was introduced during the slave trade in the 1700’s to encourage obedience to their oppressors is the catalyst behind the New Black Atheist increasing following. With the ratio between the Africans and their masters weighting heavily towards the enslaved, strategic tactics where necessary to maintain power and control. During the Transatlantic slave trade, more than 10 million enslaved Africans were transported to America between the 15th to the 19th century. Captain John Hawkins was one of the first of many to make this voyage in a 700-ton slave ship named Jesus of …show more content…

Pro-slavery religions turned many enslaved blacks away from Christianity and religion completely. The slave owners’ methods and brutality inversely drove many blacks to become atheists. This disbelief amongst blacks has lasted through generations. After slavery was ended; the nation’s refusal to protect the rights of its black citizens, and the onset of Jim Crow, gave new life to black atheism.
In the 20th century, the numbers of black Americans that are willing to express their disbelief are growing. During the Harlem Renaissance, technological advancement and growing opportunities for education promoted secularism ideas amongst black freethinkers. (Cameron) This secularism included atheism but also a commitment to improving human life through reason rather than faith. Today, New black atheist groups are not content to personally rejecting religion but instead wish to promote free-though to the broader black community.

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