US Slavery and European Jewish Holocaust: The Greater Evil Essay Example

five million other groups that were considered undesirable, such as Slavs and Gypsies. The driving force behind Nazism was Hitler's anti-Semitic beliefs, which aimed to eradicate Jewish influence from Germanic society. However, finding a solution to the "Jewish question" proved difficult for the regime. Once they came into power in 1933, the Nazis began dismissing Jews from civil service positions and banning them from professions like law, medicine, and teaching.

(Sources: History of the Holocaust - 1938-1945-6,000,000 Deaths, 2008; History of the Holocaust - An Introduction, 2008; Forced Labor, 2008; Final Solution: Overview ,2007; The Holocaust , 2008).

Under the Nazi regime, Jews were targeted for boycott of their businesses and deprived of citizenship through the Nuremberg laws enforced in 1935. These laws also prohibited intermarriage with non-Jews, making it hard for many to earn a living. On November 9-10, 1938, Nazis conducted a widespread raid resulting in destruction of synagogues and Jewish establishments throughout Germany.

During the early years of World War II, millions of European Jews were brought under Nazi control. The Wannsee Conference in 1942 resulted in top Nazi leaders agreeing on the "final solution of the Jewish question," which involved exterminating all Jews. This plan led to the construction of special concentration camps known as extermination camps that had gas chambers and crematoria capable of killing and disposing thousands daily. To execute this plan, Jews were first sent to ghettos in Eastern Europe before being transported to these camps. Furthermore, Kristallnacht - named for glass shards littering streets - also resulted in several thousand Jewish arrests.

Special forces initiated extensive shootings that led to the deaths of two million people. Jewish individuals were forced

to reside in ghettos scattered throughout various cities in Poland and experienced agonizing torment. Later, they were transported by freight cars to death camps such as Auschwitz, Dachau, Chelmno, Majdanek and Treblinka. At these camps, some Jews were chosen for enforced labor and subsequently killed while others were immediately directed into gas chambers camouflaged as shower rooms. The German military confiscated their gold teeth, hair and clothing prior to incinerating the corpses.

During the Holocaust, German scientists and doctors in concentration camps conducted brutal experiments on prisoners in the name of eugenics. These methods included injecting animal semen into female humans, joining identical twins, and subjecting individuals to hypothermia tests. Unfortunately, these unethical experiments resulted in permanent disabilities and death for numerous victims. Furthermore, the cooperation of thousands of German civilians enabled the destruction of millions of Jews and other groups without resistance. In contrast, African slavery began shortly after European settlers arrived in the Americas.

Initially, Indian slaves were utilized in certain regions, but later on Europeans opted to import Africans instead. The African slave trade was a profitable venture for many European countries and involved transporting large groups of people in overcrowded and poorly equipped vessels. As a result, the journey from Africa to America led to the spread of diseases and deaths.

According to Ronald et al. (2008), Slavery in America (1995), and Delaney (2008), around 15 million Africans were transported to the New World over three centuries - spanning from the early 16th century until the mid-19th century. The first recorded arrival of black individuals in what is now known as the United States happened in 1619.

During the colonial period, Blacks were originally brought

to America as indentured servants instead of slaves. Nevertheless, slavery soon became widespread throughout both the North and South regions. The profitability of slave labor in the South was fueled by a surge in demand for cotton after the Revolutionary War. This is evidenced by Ronald et al. (2008), Slavery in America (1995), and Delaney (2008). Despite Southern white slave owners being a minority group, accounting for less than 25 percent of individuals who owned only one or two slaves, this phenomenon led to slavery becoming commercially viable.

Despite the dominance of large-plantation owners in the pre-Civil War South's social, economic, and political life, not all slaveholders were representative of this group. Slavery was not restricted to white individuals since Indians or former black slaves also owned slaves. Furthermore, slavery's nature differed by location; some slaves worked as domestic servants, skilled artisans, and factory hands rather than on plantations. Nevertheless, most slaves suffered a dehumanizing experience that ignored their physical and psychological existence.

Although slave revolts were limited, many slaves still escaped from the South because they lacked legal protection and had little chance of becoming free. The relationship between masters and slaves varied greatly, as stated by Ronald et al. in 2008, Slavery in America in 1995, and Delaney in 2008.

The degree of slaves' influence and their relations with their masters depended on various factors, including individual personalities, occupations, size of slave holdings, and particular economic enterprise. Societies segregated both slaves and ex-slaves, denying them equality and treating them less than human. Frequently compared to animals, they were condemned to lifelong servitude under the white race as a result of foreign atrocities - a complete

injustice.

Ronald and colleagues (2008), Slavery in America (1995), and Delaney (2008) acknowledge the lasting indebtedness of America to African slaves and their offspring. Despite being renowned as a nation of liberty, America's past is closely linked with enslavement. The agony experienced by oppressed races permeates its land, exemplified by the immense suffering endured by African slaves. Though Jewish slavery was even more brutal, involving efforts to impose forced labor and total annihilation.

The severity of the genocide that the Jews endured cannot be overstated. They were subjected to both mental and physical torture, and during the Holocaust their existence as a people was in jeopardy. Despite the difficulty in comparing their suffering to that of Africans, individual accounts of Jewish suffering make it clear that they experienced brutality on an incomparable level. Both populations were transported in inhumane conditions - Jews in cattle trains and Africans in freight ships. However, while Jews were sent to both prisons and death camps, Africans were sent only to serve as slave workers in prisons.

Although Africans were traded and forced to live with their masters, their intended fate was not death. In contrast, Jews experienced systematic termination through conquest and gathering for execution by means such as gas chambers or firing squads - death may have been seen as a mercy for them.

There are those who argue that using a firearm to bring about the end of an individual's life is a more merciful option than prolonging their agony. Conversely, some individuals believe that it is preferable to abstain from having children in order to prevent creating future generations who may be subjected to enslavement. In fact,

there are even those who contend that completely eradicating a population might be viewed as a kinder choice than subjecting them to unending suffering, humiliation and bondage. Nevertheless, the cruel treatment endured by both Jews and African slaves cannot be rationalized or justified under any circumstances.

Although there is controversy surrounding whether Jews or slaves suffered more in America, it cannot be denied that both groups experienced unspeakable cruelty. To learn more and find supporting evidence about the Holocaust and forced labor, please visit these links: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/history.html, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/labor.html, http://www.remember.org/educate/medexp.html, http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en;ModuleId=10005151, and http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en;ModuleId=10005143.