Slavery has existed throughout history. However, this is not the dominant, contemporary representation, which focuses exclusively on Europeans enslaving Africans. This is a very selective and highly misleading reading of history. It air-brushes out of existence, for example, the active role of Africans in general and Muslims in particular in the enslavement of Europeans. One group of Muslims who were active in this area from the eleventh century, known as the Barbary Corsairs, enslaved over a million Europeans in the period from the sixteenth century to the early nineteenth century.
This was not only a problem for the countries of Europe. The corsairs were equally happy to capture and enslave American citizens. This was such a serious problem that in 1786 Thomas Jefferson and John Adams met with an ambassador from Tripoli in an attempt to negotiate a settlement. Jefferson and Adams reported the outcome of their unsuccessful meeting to Congress, saying they had been told that: 'It was written in their Koran, that all nations which had not acknowledged the Prophet were sinners, whom it was the right and duty of the faithful to plunder and enslave.' However, he had also informed them that in exchange for enough money they could make peace.
This was in the context of payments for ransom that were already amounting to twenty per cent of the United States' government's annual expenditure. Algeria was demanding what in today's terms would amount to millions of dollars for each individual. It was this problem which led to the formation the the United States Navy in 1794.
Once America was in possession of a navy, there inevitably followed war in alliance with the European powers against the slavers and by 1815 the naval victories had ensured that America no longer had to pay tribute. Although it was not until France had conquered Algeria in 1830 that the danger of slavery had been stamped out.
The Europeans and Americans who were enslaved during this period faced harsh treatment indeed. Being captured was only the beginning of their terrible ordeal. Many would die on the voyage back to North Africa due to lack of food or water. Those who survived the journey would be subject to being paraded through the town on their way to the slave market. There they would stand for hours, as prospective buyers would evaluate the merchandise. The slave would be forced to run and jump and suffer other indignities to demonstrate their fitness. Once sold they would be put to work, unless they were lucky enough to be able to command a substantial ransom.
Many of the slaves would become galley slaves. The life of a galley slave was arduous and hard in the extreme. It is difficult to imagine a worse fate. A galley slave would be shackled to an oar, and never allowed to leave: eating and sleeping and going to the toilet took place at the oar. The slightest suspicion that a slave was not applying one hundred per cent effort would elicit the whip.
It is strange to think that for all we hear about slavery, we do not hear stories such as this. I have to wonder why that is?
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