itself the seeds of its own destruction. Among the historic
powers of the world the United States was the last to uphold
slavery, and when, a few years after Lincoln's proclamation,
Brazil emancipated her slaves, property in man as a legally
recognized institution came to an end in all civilized countries.

Emancipation in the United States marked the conclusion of a
century of continuous debate, in which the entire history of
western civilization was traversed. The literature of American
slavery is, indeed, a summary of the literature of the world on
the subject. The Bible was made a standard text-book both for and
against slavery. Hebrew and Christian experiences were exploited
in the interest of the contending parties in this crucial
controversy. Churches of the same name and order were divided
among themselves and became half pro-slavery and half
anti-slavery.

Greek experience and Greek literature were likewise drawn into
the controversy. The Greeks themselves had set the example of
arguing both for and against slavery. Their practice and their
prevailing teaching, however, gave support to this institution.
They clearly enunciated the doctrine that there is a natural
division among human beings; that some are born to command and
others to obey; that it is natural to some men to be masters and
to others to be slaves; that each of these classes should fulfill
the destiny which nature assigns. The Greeks also recognized a
difference between races and held that some were by nature fitted
to serve as slaves, and others to command as masters. The
defenders of American slavery therefore found among the writings
of the Greeks their chief arguments already stated in classic