Slavery evolved over the centuries. It changed as societies changed. Thus, England's history with slavery is much different than America's history with slavery. The American slavery itself made a mockery of the very foundation of American liberty "that of freedom. It contradicted our founding fathers' beliefs and the beliefs on which the American constitution is based. American slavery developed into something called racism which can be still felt in the 21st century.
Slavery is an ancient practice, integral to empires from the Egyptians to the Aztecs. By the 11th century slavery had almost died out in Northern Europe. But when Portuguese sailors began exploring the African coast in the mid-1400s, they returned home with enslaved Africans. Soon the rest of Europe joined in and by the early 1700s England had become the preeminent slaver. Slavery became an essential part of the economy which was fueled by the New World's demand for labor on sugar and tobacco plantations (Thomas 18-20). Europeans justified slavery based upon the Bible. This defense known as "The Pro-Slavery Argument- which stated that slavery was an institution ordained by God (Meltzer 63). But does God justify human slavery? There does seem to be a contradiction.
Nevertheless, slavery was deeply entrenched in the lives of most people in Britain and America. Then, a female writer, Aphra Behn, tells the story of an enslaved African prince. Aphra Behn, herself, grew up in troubled times. England underwent its first revolution, fought a civil war, and beheaded a king. What had been unthinkable suddenly became possible. .
Ideas, rights, and privileges held for as long as the country had existed.
as a state came under attack. The relationship of king to subjects, .
governed to government, church to individual, master to servant, parent.
to child were uprooted and transformed. (Goreau 19).
Because she grew up in such turbulent times, Aphra was able to break from societal norms dictated by a predominately male society.