Why is the abolition of slavery a good example of moral

cosmopolitanism?

The word slave is considered an old concept and contemporary problem in this modern era but it

is the darkest part of almost every historical civilization. The enslaved persons were typically

forced to perform various tasks while treated less than humans with no rights. This immoral and

sinful social stigma was ended with the rise of abolitionism or the abolitionist movement which

was a groundbreaking event in history to end the trade of Atlantic slaves and ensure the freedom

of enslaved people.

The theory of cosmopolitanism considered everyone as a member of a single community where

every human being has equal rights without any discrimination. The abolishment of slavery was

a great milestone toward this concept as in the past slaves had no human rights or free

will. Cosmopolitanism also believes that human beings are entitled to respect by birth no matter

their citizenship, social status, or color of their skin, all these aspects of this concept were

attained by the abolishment of slavery.

Sociologically and politically cosmopolitanism always acknowledges the otherness of different

cultures in society. The slaves were branded by their owner’s name and kept away from their

family and friends at early ages and put into physically abusive conditions to turn them into

strong slaves. They were not allowed to keep their original names, religion, or languages. They

were also forced to leave their other cultural practices by keeping them busy working to attain

maximum work efficiency. The abolishment of slavery helped them to practice their culture

while it also made others accept them for their cultural differences.
Secondly, cosmopolitanism promotes harmony and equality in society but slavery abused young

children to turn them into physically strong slaves. These inhumane actions were justified by the

owners with the claim that the slaves are not equal to humans and that the Universal Declaration

of Human Rights is for humans that cannot apply to them. In the 17th century, black lives were

equivalent to animals. They were forced to work continuously and whipped upon small mistakes.

The end of slavery made them equal citizens to the whites, allowed them the right to vote, take

part in politics and stop those who have intentions to harm them.

Lastly, slavery had always oppressed the otherness of nature and rationalities in society, while on

the other moral cosmopolitanism supports it. In the era of slavery, the slaves were not allowed to

have any opinions and free will; they had to follow the order of the owners irrespective of their

nature and views. The owner’s words were their command and they had to follow them just like

machines in the modern era. Since the day of slavery abolition we had witnessed a huge number

of great personalities from black people communities in various fields where they are making

great impacts in society through their views and abilities.

The abolishment of slavery is a great example of moral cosmopolitanism as the basics of both

coincide with each other. Cosmopolitanism supports the morality of human beings; it asks them

to be respectful of the other’s cultures, rationalities, natures, objectives, and social origins.

People must learn how to accept others with their differences was the same objective of slavery

abolishment.

References:

1. Why Is Slavery Wrong - Free Essay Example. (2022, March 28). PapersOwl.com.

Retrieved October 4, 2022, from https://papersowl.com/examples/why-is-slavery-wrong/

2. Fage, J. D. (1969). Slavery and the Slave Trade in the Context of West African History.

The Journal of African History, 10(3), 393–404. http://www.jstor.org/stable/179673

3. Wong, E. (2010). Anti-Slavery Cosmopolitanism in the Black Atlantic. Victorian

Literature and Culture, 38(2), 451-466.

4. Hahn, S. (2009). The political worlds of slavery and freedom. In The Political Worlds of

Slavery and Freedom. Harvard University Press.