How Did The Roman Attitude Toward Slavery?
II. THE ROMAN ATTITUDES TOWARDS SLAVERY
One of the questions that has to be asked is how did Rome become multicultural? This question can be answered several ways but for our interest as well as for the most part, it became multicultural through the system of slavery. Slaves were brought to Italy from the south and east of the Mediterranean after the conquest and plunder of the Roman campaigns. The slaves encompassed importantly also other Europeans, in particular from Gaul, Spain and later on Britain. Also the Germanic tribes to the north of Italy in what is today Germany, Austria and the Balkans came flooding into Rome for sale. An important question that has to be asked is what was the Romans attitude toward slavery? And was it just as rigid as the slavery that would later be developed under the mentality of White Supremacy?
Enslavement …show more content…
In fact the Greek slave in Rome, out of all the nationalities of slaves which inhabited the city and Italy as well, had an easier time gaining independence. And in no more than one generation, could anticipate becoming fully integrated seamlessly into the Roman citizenry with full rights. Alexis de Tocqueville, the French political writer, made a point of referring to this fact of Roman slavery in comparison to the slavery in the United States when he said,
In antiquity the slave was of the same race as his master and often, his superior in education and enlightenment. Only freedom kept them apart; freedom once granted, they mingled easily.8
It should not be taken for granted though, that the Romans viewed all Greeks as their superiors. Indeed the Greek men who were not either men of letters nor properly trained in philosophy would be retained for a tougher form of slavery which was physical rather than comfortable. For these troglodytes the road to freedom would be tougher to
One of the questions that has to be asked is how did Rome become multicultural? This question can be answered several ways but for our interest as well as for the most part, it became multicultural through the system of slavery. Slaves were brought to Italy from the south and east of the Mediterranean after the conquest and plunder of the Roman campaigns. The slaves encompassed importantly also other Europeans, in particular from Gaul, Spain and later on Britain. Also the Germanic tribes to the north of Italy in what is today Germany, Austria and the Balkans came flooding into Rome for sale. An important question that has to be asked is what was the Romans attitude toward slavery? And was it just as rigid as the slavery that would later be developed under the mentality of White Supremacy?
Enslavement …show more content…
In fact the Greek slave in Rome, out of all the nationalities of slaves which inhabited the city and Italy as well, had an easier time gaining independence. And in no more than one generation, could anticipate becoming fully integrated seamlessly into the Roman citizenry with full rights. Alexis de Tocqueville, the French political writer, made a point of referring to this fact of Roman slavery in comparison to the slavery in the United States when he said,
In antiquity the slave was of the same race as his master and often, his superior in education and enlightenment. Only freedom kept them apart; freedom once granted, they mingled easily.8
It should not be taken for granted though, that the Romans viewed all Greeks as their superiors. Indeed the Greek men who were not either men of letters nor properly trained in philosophy would be retained for a tougher form of slavery which was physical rather than comfortable. For these troglodytes the road to freedom would be tougher to