Friday, January 30, 2009
Why Not the Jews?
This question pertains to the debate discussed on 1/30/09. Why was the Jewish population in Europe not utilized as slaves if it was purely for economic gains and not about race? The Jewish population was expelled from many countries in Europe at this time or segregated in these countries like the Africans or Moor's. They were seen as inferior and had been persecuted for their religion as long as Africans had been persecuted for their differences. They were also in Europe and thus would be cheaper to trade and ship since it bypasses the long journey to Africa. The jewish populations immunity to diseases were the same as the European which makes it even cheaper and safer for the slave traders. So clearly they should have been made as slaves unless the White Europeans couldn't bring themselves to put their own race into slavery.
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ReplyDeleteHmm...You make a good point, Sean. Undoubtedly some Jews came to Europe as slaves, with the Jewish diaspora after the 70AD revolt in Judea against Roman rule.
ReplyDeleteSlavery was widespread in the early Middle Ages (any Catholic reading this might remember that St.Patrick was captured by slave traders) and was a remnant of the Roman Empire, but faded away with the rise of Christianity in the 10th century (which held slavery to be incompatible with its tenets) and the development of serfdom.
I think that Jews were not enslaved in Europe as they were viewed as go-betweens in Medieval society between different classes and peoples. Let me explain. During this time, money lending was frowned upon due to biblical prohibitions against usury. So a certain subset of Jews became involved in banking practices, providng a necessary service while also being reviled for it. This practice has historical remnants in certain Jewish surnames (Goldman, Gelb, etc.)
A certain subsection of Jews also served as merchants, wandering traders who bought valuable and highly demanded items like spices and silks to the upper classes.
Though they were subject to periodic expulsions and persecutions, many rulers protected them due to the tax base they provided: special additional taxes were levied against Jews as non-Christians. It was lucrative to have Jewish subjects, both in terms of extra income for the crown and the luxury goods that they provided.
In addition, slavery as we know it (as applying to Africans) was not in force in Europe at the time. Though serfdom was brutal, it was not slavery; perhaps a better analogue would be to compare it to sharecropping. However, the Black Death and the labor shortage that followed liberated many peasants from land bondage and led to the growth of cities, where Jewish populations primarily resided.
By the time of exploration in the Americas, slavery was not a part of the European mindset in terms of enslaving other Europeans, even the Jews. It hadn't been for over half a millennium. At any rate, the Jewish population was too small, relatively protected, and not stereotyped as enslaveable, unlike other racial groups. They provided valuable and necessary services to various groups, most importantly to those who held power. Expulsion and persecution (but not enslavement) of Jews from various countries (most notably Spain) was due to religious, political, and societal factors. Why they were not enslaved may be racially based, but I don't personally don't think it was. Race and racial identity was coming to the forefront of European consciousness at the time, yet I don't think that there was a pan-European "white" identity in place at the time. Due to the rise of nation-states, I feel that the average European was more likely to identify themselves as English or French- i.e., by nationality. And I believe that all conceived of Jews as the alien other.
This is just me talking off the top of my head; perhaps other students could provide a better response to your question.
Your right that the prosecution of the Jews happened primarily after the understanding, across most of Europe, that they were truly responsible as a cult for killing Jesus in the high middle ages(around 1000-1400). They were also as you said protected by the nobility because they were the only ones who could loan money and be bankers for the nobility because it was against Christian law to give money out with interest, the idea that knights give for charity expecting nothing in return. (Most notably protection provided by the Knight of the Templar's)
ReplyDeleteThe expulsion of the Jews from Spain however did occur in the time period that slavery was really taking off and if slavery wasn't based on race then the Spanish would have done the profitable thing and used these outcasts for slaves. Especially considering how brutal the Spanish were to Native Americans in Florida and the west indies. They truly showed that didn't care at all for those of others races, especially blacks. As Professor Young mentioned in class about Las Casas stating that they should use blacks instead of continuing the slaughter of Native Americans. This is because they saw blacks as a race as even inferior to the Native Americans which shows just how based on race this was.
err in the second paragraph when i said other races i meant other religious groups aswell sorry.
ReplyDeleteAlso this question was meant primarily for the con team. I wished to ask it in class but we ran out of time. However i appreciate the response's from others as well.
ReplyDeleteLol sorry Sean! I thought it was a general class question. Anyway, have a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteNote I am from the pro team
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting question, and one that is not easily answered.
I would venture to argue that the selection of Africans for institutional slavery was based on the assumption that Africans fit the bill "racially" (there is more than one race on the continent but that is a discussion for a different day). It is not like racism is logical and it stands to be said that really any race could have been institutionally enslaved if conditions and sentiments allowed for it i.e. the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany.
I hope that helps.