Slavery Issues of the United States in the 19th Century: A Case Study on How Cultural Prejudice Misinterprets Slavery in the Bible

Abstract

The issue of racial discrimination in the United States is still ongoing. Why does not this impersonal and destructive racism end? We stipulate that the fundamental problem is the lack of sufficient understanding between humans. If humans do not comprehend enough rationally, spiritually, and emotionally, their ability to accept the other person is significantly reduced. This study attempts to reveal how this lack of understanding appeared in the 19th century American slavery problem by studying two Presbyterian leaders, Robert Dabney and Charles Hodge. Both discussed that the liberation of slaves should take place someday at a future point in time. However, when the American Civil War broke out, they took radically different position. In this study, we will argue that without genuine understanding, everyone will not bend their arguments in their own culture and eventually fall into the contradictions and ironies of self-justification