The accusation has been made that slavery in the United States was a byproduct of a capitalistic market. (“An end to capitalism … an end to racism?” Jan. 10). I cannot help but challenge this claim. I will grant that Nicolai Brown does not claim slavery worldwide is a byproduct of capitalism, but only American slavery that ended more than 100 years ago. Either way, Brown is hard-pressed to prove that slavery in America’s early days was motivated by something other than slavery in other societies.

Brown credits the slave trade and the resulting economic profits as the origin of colonial and later American slavery. For the purpose of keeping this response short, I will concede this point to him. If what he says is true, why then did slavery exist in more modern times under despotic warlord states with heavily regulated economies? If capitalism is the cause of slavery, and not some underlying human factor, and the United States is still considered capitalist, why does slavery not exist in this country?

I am not claiming that prejudice does not exist, but this column infers some hidden effort by hard-working, good-willed people in our society trying to turn back the clock on equal rights.

Another issue I must address is Brown’s attack on the Founding Fathers; the people who risked execution by the crown to strive and fight for a more perfect union.

We do not celebrate the Fourth of July because the Founding Fathers had slaves, nor would they be considered great men in our time. We celebrate them because they were extraordinary men — not perfect men — in their time.

Brown argues that our society has given up the fight on racism. I reject this notion. I reject the idea of using the pain and struggle of others as a faulty martyr for misguided Marxist ideals. I reject it and argue for a fight against the true cause — human ignorance.

Anthony J. Gertz

Senior

Political Science