--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Slaves were considered by slave traders…" description: "\"“Slaves were considered by slave traders and slaveholders as chattel, pieces of personal or real property owned by individuals. Yet the willful killing..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/cynthia-mestad-johnson-53712_quote_slaves-were-considered-by-slave-traders_1576778.jpg" --- # Slaves were considered by slave traders and slaveholders… ![“Slaves were considered by slave traders and slaveholders as chattel, pieces of personal or real property owned by individuals. Yet the willful killing of slaves was illegal. However, these crimes were rarely, if ever, prosecuted within the states because state legal codes provided exceptions that…” quote by Cynthia Mestad Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/cynthia-mestad-johnson-53712_quote_slaves-were-considered-by-slave-traders_1576778.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/cynthia-mestad-johnson-53712_quote_slaves-were-considered-by-slave-traders_1576778.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/cynthia-mestad-johnson-53712_quote_slaves-were-considered-by-slave-traders_1576778.jpg) > ““Slaves were considered by slave traders and slaveholders as chattel, pieces of personal or real property owned by individuals. Yet the willful killing of slaves was illegal. However, these crimes were rarely, if ever, prosecuted within the states because state legal codes provided exceptions that allowed slave owners to claim that the killing of the slave had been justified or accidental. Slave captains routinely ordered crew members to throw sick slaves overboard, almost as a matter of hygiene, to keep them from contaminating the cargo and, more”” [Cynthia Mestad Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-mestad-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Slave owners could legally kill slaves, and such crimes were often ignored, exposing systemic injustice. **In simple terms:** Legal loopholes let slave owners kill slaves without punishment. Key Takeaway Recognize and confront systemic legal injustices. Themes justice history human rights Mood critical somber Type historical analytical When to use this quote - education curricula - museum exhibits - policy reform - human rights advocacy Key Concepts slavery legal immunity human dignity Questions to Reflect On - How do modern laws reflect past injustices? - What reforms can prevent similar abuses? A Different Perspective Legal systems can embed moral contradictions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Considered Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/considered-slave-5947470/) [Killing Slaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing-slaves-5947471/) [Slave Justified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave-justified-5947469/) [Slave owners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave-owners/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [Slaves Illegal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slaves-illegal-5947468/) ## Related quotes > [“This country was founded by slave owners who wanted to be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/this-country-was-founded-by-slave-owners-who-wanted-to-be-free/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [“By Jamaican standards, this level of slave-ownership on the part of a skilled craftsman was not unusual. The 157 inhabitants of Port Royal who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-colley/by-jamaican-standards-this-level-of-slave-ownership-on-the-part-of-a/) [Linda Colley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-colley/) > [I can't say with certainty that slavery would have ended more quickly and more completely if the South had been allowed to leave and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-swanson/i-can-t-say-with-certainty-that-slavery-would-have-ended-more-quickly/) [David Swanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-swanson/) > [“The great bulk of the legal voters of the South were men who owned no slaves; their homes were generally in the hills and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/the-great-bulk-of-the-legal-voters-of-the-south-were-men-who-owned-no/) [Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/) > [The protection of the masses has in all times been the pretense of tyranny - the plea of monarchy, of aristocracy, of special privilege…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-george/the-protection-of-the-masses-has-in-all-times-been-the-pretense-of/) [Henry George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-george/) > [Just as the worst slave-owners were those who were kind to their slaves, and so prevented the horror of the system being realized by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/just-as-the-worst-slave-owners-were-those-who-were-kind-to-their/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [This country was founded by a group of slave owners who told us that all men are created equal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/this-country-was-founded-by-a-group-of-slave-owners-who-told-us-that/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [We live in an age of apologies. Apologies, fake or true, are expected from the descendants of empire builders, slave owners and persecutors of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-guinness/we-live-in-an-age-of-apologies-apologies-fake-or-true-are-expected/) [Alec Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-guinness/) > [With the Lincoln assassination, the South didn't feel it could mourn along with the North. But Garfield was beloved by all the American people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-millard/with-the-lincoln-assassination-the-south-didn-t-feel-it-could-mourn/) [Candice Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-millard/) > [The Bible is a radically pro-slavery document. Slave owners waved Bibles over their heads in the Civil War and justified it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/the-bible-is-a-radically-pro-slavery-document-slave-owners-waved/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [One is astonished in the study of history at the recurrence of the idea that evil must be forgotten, distorted, skimmed over. We must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/one-is-astonished-in-the-study-of-history-at-the-recurrence-of-the/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [My favorite quote is Thomas Jefferson's "The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time." Well, he was a slave-owner.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/my-favorite-quote-is-thomas-jefferson-s-the-god-who-gave-us-life-gave/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [Since we were renamed, and now it feels like 80 percent of the African-American population has the name Washington or Jefferson or some president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-peele/since-we-were-renamed-and-now-it-feels-like-80-percent-of-the-african/) [Jordan Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-peele/) > [All of us in the Ball family in South Carolina, from the time we're children, hear stories about our ancestors, the slave owners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ball/all-of-us-in-the-ball-family-in-south-carolina-from-the-time-we-re/) [Edward Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ball/) > [History has different yardsticks for the cruelty of the Northerners and the cruelty of the Southerners in the Civil War. A slave-owner who through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/history-has-different-yardsticks-for-the-cruelty-of-the-northerners/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) ## More by Cynthia Mestad Johnson > [“Since a slaver’s insurance covered the mortality of slaves at a predetermined percentage rate of anywhere between 5 to 25 percent, it was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-mestad-johnson/since-a-slaver-s-insurance-covered-the-mortality-of-slaves-at-a/) [Cynthia Mestad Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-mestad-johnson/) > [“Despite the new impediments that DeWolf faced, he became more powerful than ever. On December 4, 1795, his ship the Juno sold seventy-five slaves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-mestad-johnson/despite-the-new-impediments-that-dewolf-faced-he-became-more-powerful/) [Cynthia Mestad Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-mestad-johnson/) > [“The ship records from this voyage showed that Levi sold 109 slaves for $28,200. In this shipment, there was the death of one male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-mestad-johnson/the-ship-records-from-this-voyage-showed-that-levi-sold-109-slaves/) [Cynthia Mestad Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-mestad-johnson/) > [“By 1750, Rhode Island was recognized as the nation’s most active trading center for slaves.7 In 1774, Newport was declared the most active city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-mestad-johnson/by-1750-rhode-island-was-recognized-as-the-nation-s-most-active/) [Cynthia Mestad Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-mestad-johnson/) > [“As a highly successful slave trader, James DeWolf owned all of his vessels outright. DeWolf also held 75 percent interest in many other vessels,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-mestad-johnson/as-a-highly-successful-slave-trader-james-dewolf-owned-all-of-his/) [Cynthia Mestad Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-mestad-johnson/) [Explore all 6 Cynthia Mestad Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-mestad-johnson/) ## More Slave owners quotes > [“The great bulk of the legal voters of the South were men who owned no slaves; their homes were generally in the hills and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/the-great-bulk-of-the-legal-voters-of-the-south-were-men-who-owned-no/) [Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/) > [All of us in the Ball family in South Carolina, from the time we're children, hear stories about our ancestors, the slave owners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ball/all-of-us-in-the-ball-family-in-south-carolina-from-the-time-we-re/) [Edward Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ball/) > [“This country was founded by slave owners who wanted to be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/this-country-was-founded-by-slave-owners-who-wanted-to-be-free/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Since we were renamed, and now it feels like 80 percent of the African-American population has the name Washington or Jefferson or some president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-peele/since-we-were-renamed-and-now-it-feels-like-80-percent-of-the-african/) [Jordan Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-peele/) > [“By Jamaican standards, this level of slave-ownership on the part of a skilled craftsman was not unusual. The 157 inhabitants of Port Royal who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-colley/by-jamaican-standards-this-level-of-slave-ownership-on-the-part-of-a/) [Linda Colley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-colley/) > [I can't say with certainty that slavery would have ended more quickly and more completely if the South had been allowed to leave and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-swanson/i-can-t-say-with-certainty-that-slavery-would-have-ended-more-quickly/) [David Swanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-swanson/) > [My favorite quote is Thomas Jefferson's "The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time." Well, he was a slave-owner.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/my-favorite-quote-is-thomas-jefferson-s-the-god-who-gave-us-life-gave/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [One is astonished in the study of history at the recurrence of the idea that evil must be forgotten, distorted, skimmed over. We must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/one-is-astonished-in-the-study-of-history-at-the-recurrence-of-the/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [The Bible is a radically pro-slavery document. Slave owners waved Bibles over their heads in the Civil War and justified it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/the-bible-is-a-radically-pro-slavery-document-slave-owners-waved/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [With the Lincoln assassination, the South didn't feel it could mourn along with the North. But Garfield was beloved by all the American people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-millard/with-the-lincoln-assassination-the-south-didn-t-feel-it-could-mourn/) [Candice Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-millard/) > [We live in an age of apologies. Apologies, fake or true, are expected from the descendants of empire builders, slave owners and persecutors of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-guinness/we-live-in-an-age-of-apologies-apologies-fake-or-true-are-expected/) [Alec Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-guinness/) > [This country was founded by a group of slave owners who told us that all men are created equal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/this-country-was-founded-by-a-group-of-slave-owners-who-told-us-that/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Just as the worst slave-owners were those who were kind to their slaves, and so prevented the horror of the system being realized by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/just-as-the-worst-slave-owners-were-those-who-were-kind-to-their/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The protection of the masses has in all times been the pretense of tyranny - the plea of monarchy, of aristocracy, of special privilege…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-george/the-protection-of-the-masses-has-in-all-times-been-the-pretense-of/) [Henry George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-george/) > [History has different yardsticks for the cruelty of the Northerners and the cruelty of the Southerners in the Civil War. A slave-owner who through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/history-has-different-yardsticks-for-the-cruelty-of-the-northerners/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) [Browse all 42 Slave owners quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave-owners/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Slaves were considered by slave traders and slaveholders as chattel, pieces of personal or real property owned by individuals. Yet the willful killing of slaves was illegal. However, these crimes were rarely, if ever, prosecuted within the states because state legal codes provided exceptions that allowed slave owners to claim that the killing of the slave had been justified or accidental. 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