Biblijna argumentacja w dyskusji o separacji rasowej i niewolnictwie czarnych w USA w drugiej połowie XIX wieku

Abstract

A discussion on a Racial Segregation and a Slavery in the United States of America in a Second Half of the 19th Century – Arguments Derived from the Bible (Summary) In the 19th century White intellectuals were looking for justification of such a social organisation which sanctioned racial segregation. These concepts were fueled not only by the ideology of Social Darwinism and scientific racism, ideas of Gobineu, Chamberlain and Lapouge, but also by the proof of diversity of races recorded in the Bible. Numerous experts attempted to find a cause of slavery in the Bible. They claimed that Blacks are not the posterity of Adam and Eve, but they are either the offspring of humans and apes, or descendants of the first murderer, Cain, or even descendants of Ham, Noah’s cursed son. In the perception of the experts, the sinful origins of Blacks legitimized slavery and segregation. The radicals repeatedly refused to admit that Blacks are human beings, and even used to call them beasts and apes. This strongly biased interpretation of Biblical texts was one of the roots of American racism and racial segregation.