Similarities Between Slavery And The Holocaust

Throughout history there have been wars, plagues and natural disasters that have killed millions of people. These people died fighting for their country, died from poor health or died because of the location in which they lived. However, the deaths that occurred during the Holocaust and the period of American slavery were completely different from them. These two events were periods in which millions of people died from starvation, exhaustion, or were murdered. People were ripped away from their homes and families and sent to camps to die. Though they may have differences, the Holocaust and American slavery were two systematically planned, state governed practices that targeted a specific group of people.
Unlike the Holocaust, slavery in America was used as a means of economic development. “In the 17th and 18th centuries, black slaves worked mainly on the tobacco, rice and indigo plantations of the Southern Coast” (slavery in america). Settlers turned to importing slaves for cheaper and more plentiful labor. For decades, slaves were a very important …show more content…
During the Holocaust, 11 million people were killed, 6 million of whom were Jewish. To say that one of these historical events was worse would be an insult to the other. These two events will go down as the lowest points in human history. These are times that are only remembered by history so that they do not happen again.
In conclusion, the American slave trade and the German Holocaust were two points in history that will never be forgotten. People were taken from their homes and families, and were sent to a new place with a new life. They were not treated as human, but as property and biologically inferior. The American slave trade and the Holocaust will be remembered for their cruelty, the evil people behind them and the millions of innocent lives