# Are there any pro-slavery advocates active in the US today? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 4, 2010, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243 "2010-03-04T04:37:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243/1 "2010-03-04T04:37:28Z")
I just watched The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, and wondered if there were any backwoods cranks out there somewhere still thinking that slavery never should’ve been abolished. I know there are some virulent racists out there, but is there anyone who seriously advocates human slavery? Google only turned up Antebellum history. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243/2 "2010-03-04T04:59:48Z")
There are certainly people who would say in their cups (or have a pamphlet on the counter of their barbecue restaurant, you know who you are) that black people were better off under slavery. Because they were taken care of and all. That’s not quite the same thing, but close enough that I’m picky about where I get my pulled pork, if you know what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243/3 "2010-03-04T05:05:29Z")
There are a surprising number of apologists for the practice (who point out that slavery is not condemned anywhere in the Bible, that the descendants of slaves in America are better off by any measure than the descendants of Africans not taken to America, that virtually every nation on earth practiced slavery at some point but the antebellum South is somehow singled out, etc.), but I’m not aware of any serious groups that want the practice brought back. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243/4 "2010-03-04T05:08:17Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > There are certainly people who would say in their cups (or have a pamphlet on the counter of their barbecue restaurant, you know who you are) that black people were better off under slavery. Because they were taken care of and all. That’s not quite the same thing, but close enough that I’m picky about where I get my pulled pork, if you know what I mean. Oh I’m \*always \*careful about where I get my pork pulled. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243/5 "2010-03-04T05:22:16Z")
Who says there is no slavery in the modern US? > **[Human trafficking in the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trafficking_in_the_United_States)** > > In the United States, human trafficking tends to occur around international travel hubs with large immigrant populations, notably in California, Texas, and Georgia. Those trafficked include young children, teenagers, men, and women; victims can be domestic citizens or foreign nationals. > Under federal law (18 USC § 1589), it is a crime to make people work by use of force, coercion, or fear. U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons placed the country in "Tier 1... Clearly there are plenty of people who don’t just support the idea, but actively participate in it. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243/6 "2010-03-04T06:09:55Z")
Well, I’d sure like one. Or two. Two would be excellent. One to do housework/gardening, and the other one to cook for me and the first slave. (Because I expect I’d have to feed them.) Really, who wouldn’t like a slave or two? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243/7 "2010-03-04T13:33:55Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > There are certainly people who would say in their cups (or have a pamphlet on the counter of their barbecue restaurant, you know who you are) that black people were better off under slavery. Because they were taken care of and all. That was the main justification by antebellum Southerners, who called Northern factory workers “wage slaves” and pointed out that, if a slave were injured and couldn’t work for awhile (say, a broken arm), they’d let him heal so as not to lose their investment, whereas a Northern factory owner would just fire him. It was a pretty strong argument back then, when there were no sick days or retirement plans. ---
**Author:** ![MeDrewNotYou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@MeDrewNotYou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeDrewNotYou)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243/8 "2010-03-04T13:46:40Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > There are certainly people who would say in their cups (or have a pamphlet on the counter of their barbecue restaurant, you know who you are) that black people were better off under slavery. Because they were taken care of and all. That’s not quite the same thing, but close enough that I’m picky about where I get my pulled pork, if you know what I mean. Such as [Trent Franks, Arizona Representative?](http://mediamattersaction.org/blog/201002260004) ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243/9 "2010-03-04T15:04:11Z")
There are members of my extended family and friends of those family members who publicly make the statement that “the blacks” were happier as slaves because they didn’t have to take care of themselves, which they’re not able to do well anyway. And not all of them are over 80. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243/10 "2010-03-04T15:25:21Z")
I think that there are people who effectively enslave others through debt or immigration scams, but public advocacy of slavery? I’ve never heard it. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243/11 "2010-03-04T15:40:36Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > Well, I’d sure like one. Or two. Two would be excellent. One to do housework/gardening, and the other one to cook for me and the first slave. (Because I expect I’d have to feed them.) > > Really, who wouldn’t like a slave or two? I agree completely. I don’t care what race they are but if I had a couple of slaves I’m sure my life would be much better. Now where to find people to be my slaves is a much harder proposition. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t at least a sizable minority who isn’t opposed to the idea of having a slave. Personally I think indentured servants are a much more workable idea and I’m sure that we could find people to be slaves for 7 years in exchange for room and board and a plane ticket to the US. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243/12 "2010-03-04T16:20:37Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > There are members of my extended family and friends of those family members who publicly make the statement that “the blacks” were happier as slaves because they didn’t have to take care of themselves, which they’re not able to do well anyway. > > And not all of them are over 80. There’s a sublime moment in the documentary Sherman’s March, where a couple of Daughters of the Confederacy (or whatever) debutantes are talking to the filmmaker. In a conversation about Civil War era history, one of them–who agreed that slaves had a better life before emancipation–seemed to think that freeing the slaves was somehow an offense against their civil rights. She said something like [20yrold memory, so very loose paraphrasing here] “If someone wants to be a slave, I say let them be a slave. It’s a free country.” ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243/13 "2010-03-04T16:28:27Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > Well, I’d sure like one. Or two. Two would be excellent. One to do housework/gardening, and the other one to cook for me and the first slave. (Because I expect I’d have to feed them.) > > Really, who wouldn’t like a slave or two? I have two interns. Do I win the thread? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243/14 "2010-03-04T16:48:03Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > There are certainly people who would say in their cups (or have a pamphlet on the counter of their barbecue restaurant, you know who you are) that black people were better off under slavery. Because they were taken care of and all. That’s not quite the same thing, but close enough that I’m picky about where I get my pulled pork, if you know what I mean. Would you please tell me what you’re talking about? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243/15 "2010-03-04T17:47:14Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Would you please tell me what you’re talking about? When my brother visited South Carolina (where **Zsofia** is), he was a bit surprised to see “white power” literature on display at [Maurice’s](http://www.mauricesbbq.com/index.cfm). They’ve changed their Web site since I last visited, a while back. No more rebel flags or articles. The jar of sauce I have\* does have the rebel flag on it, tho. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more BBQ joints with the same, uh, “theme”. \*Sorry, I really love mustard-based sauce… ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243/16 "2010-03-04T18:39:19Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > When my brother visited South Carolina (where **Zsofia** is), he was a bit surprised to see “white power” literature on display at [Maurice’s](http://www.mauricesbbq.com/index.cfm). They’ve changed their Web site since I last visited, a while back. No more rebel flags or articles. The jar of sauce I have\* does have the rebel flag on it, tho. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more BBQ joints with the same, uh, “theme”. > > \*Sorry, I really love mustard-based sauce… Dude, there’s other mustard sauces. Tons of 'em. But yeah, Maurice’s is the joint I was thinking of. Trust me, right thinking people do _not_ eat there. (Also, their barbecue sucks.) ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243/17 "2010-03-04T19:14:37Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > But yeah, Maurice’s is the joint I was thinking of. Trust me, right thinking people do _not_ eat there. (Also, their barbecue sucks.) I’d heard similar things about Hammy’s in Elgin ( a friend of mind was from Camden ). However he was unable to confirm it for sure - just rumors he recalled from his childhood about the then owner. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243/18 "2010-03-04T19:22:51Z")
My favorite BBQ restaurant in my hometown bottles their sauce - I always bring a bunch of bottles back with me. It’s the traditional Carolina mustard-based yumminess. And no racist stuff on the bottles, or in the restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243/19 "2010-03-04T20:33:43Z")
Check out the Christian Reconstructionists. At [Mainstreambaptists.com](http://Mainstreambaptists.com), I found [this article](http://www.mainstreambaptists.org/mob4/dominionism.htm) which begins with a reference to an Oklahoma editorial “lamenting the death & eulogizing the memory of Rousas John Rushdoony.” > [@](#): > > Very few people in Oklahoma or in our entire country have any idea who Rousas Rushdoony was. Fewer still know the impact that his thought and writings are having on life in our society. Most of the people who have been influenced by him are loathe to admit that his ideas have had an impact on their thinking. Some, like John Whitehead who heads the Rutherford Institute and was a prominent advisor to George W. Bush during the legal battles in Florida after the last presidential election, acknowledged Rushdoony’s influence in their early writings, but have found it necessary to distance themselves from him as they acquired positions of public influence. What are their goals? > [@](#): > > The laws that Reconstructionists want to enforce are those of Ancient Israel. They believe that the Mosaic law is God’s blueprint for all societies. … 1) Make the ten commandments the law of the land, 2) Reduce the role of government to the defense of property rights, 3) Require “tithes” to ecclesiastical agencies to provide welfare services, 4) \*\*Close prisons – reinstitute slavery as a form of punishment \*\*and require capital punishment for all of ancient Israel’s capital offenses – including apostacy, blasphemy, incorrigibility in children, murder, rape, Sabbath breaking, sodomy, and witchcraft, 5) Close public schools – make parents totally responsible for the education of their children, and 6) Strengthen patriarchically ordered families. The links to Steven Hotze, MD, are dead. Here’s a more [recent one,](http://www.progressivepuppy.com/the_progressive_puppy/2009/11/fundies-plan-attacks-on-lesbian-mayoral-candidate-during-runoff.html) in which he planned a homophobic campaign against Annise Parker. Or, as we call her now, Mayor Parker! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243/20 "2010-03-04T20:35:30Z")
Some Christian Reconstructionists call for reinstating slavery. A founder of that movement, Rousas John Rushdoony, considered much slavery benevolent as it exposed the heathen slave to Christianity. He also felt slavery was a preferable option to incarceration. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pro-slavery-advocates-active-in-the-us-today/531243.md?page=2)