On Race and Racism

Published: November 16, 2008, 2:47 pm

Historically speaking, race and racism were not normally confined to the color of a person’s skin. In ancient Rome, Africans, Near Asians, and Europeans could all be slaves, freemen, or citizens and so were not bound by color distinctions. Ancient Egyptians were ruled by Near Eastern, Nubian, and Greek Pharaohs. In fact, most skin-based racism is a fairly recent development in the entire history of Man, dating back a mere few hundred years. In the United States, Africans were brought to plantations, farms, and houses all over the eastern sea board. In Anglo-American cities and towns, it was not unusual for these Africans to either be emancipated within about 10 or 20 years, or to purchase their own freedom. Slaves in the 17th century were more indentured servants, closer to their European counterparts, than actual “slaves” in the 18th through 19th centuries. In fact, the idea of trading in human flesh, as in capturing and treating other human beings as cattle and

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