I'm quite sure that those enslaving did try and justify it, after all they did and do have to sleep at night. There is no excuse or justification for making a person an object.

That's like asking if war can ever be justified. Of course there are justifications that can be made, but the problem is that people aren't going to readily accept them because of the social stigma attached to it - mainly stemming from the enslavement of native Africans in the Early Americas and the struggle for freedom that ensued. The concept of owning slaves is actually MUCH, much older than that. In short, yes, slavery can be justified - but noone is going to accept those justifications.

Forcing a person to work against his will with no pay under any condition is wrong and cant be justified.

There is no justification for "owning" another human being or treating them as if they are less than human. Slavery began a long time ago and unfortunately, in some parts of the world, is still going on.

I don't think that slavery can ever be justified. How can a person justify having someone else do their work and suffer for them without any compensation whatsoever and call it good? On the other hand, I don't think having people pay money to other people 142 years after slavery serves any purpose but make one person alittle richer and the other alittle poorer and yet no one can ever right those that were wronged starting in 1619 at Jamestown and ending almost 150 years ago. Slavery in any country, even today, is wrong.

No. Ownership of a person cannot be justified. Let us look at the meaning of the word "justified": justify One entry found for justify. Main Entry: jus·ti·fy Function: verb transitive verb 1 a : to prove or show to be just, right, or reasonable b (1) : to show to have had a sufficient legal reason (2) : to qualify (oneself) as a surety by taking oath to the ownership of sufficient property 2 a archaic : to administer justice to b archaic : ABSOLVE c : to judge, regard, or treat as righteous and worthy of salvation 3 a : to space (as lines of text) so that the lines come out even at the margin b : to make even by justifying <justified margins> intransitive verb 1 a : to show a sufficient lawful reason for an act done b : to qualify as bail or surety 2 : to justify lines of text http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/justified How can it be proven to be just, right, or reasonable to assign any human the status of chattle?

No its wrong!!!!Will never agree with it or understand it.

No. It always was a way for the rich to get labor at the least possible cost. Since most slaves were prisoners of war at first they were the victims of the conquering country which was exploiting the conquered territory. In ancient times in order to clear territory for resettlement the conquered people were used as a labor pool in order to get some use out of them. The alternative (killing them) would have been wasteful and a loss of wealth to the conquerers. Even in Africa later on most slaves were the result of warfare in Africa between tribes who then sold their prisoners of war to the white traders. In America slaves were used as a cheap labor pool as labor was scarce and expensive. It never was "right" but the rich of most countries have never lost much sleep about exploiting others if it meant increasing their wealth. All wealth is the product of labor.

No it can't because it's still happening. But if you are talking about the BS about weather we should apologize for something our great grandfathers did, then the answer is still no. If blacks are going to get away with an apology then germans should apologize for what they did the Jews. The English should get an apology also, where's their compensation for their ancestors of 200-300 years ago were sent down coal mines at 7 or 8 years old. Our apology wouldn't do a thing anyways, things would still continue the same way they are now.

Explained yes..justified no.

No there is nothing on Gods green earth that can justify it

To be justified means it is just. And no...it never is. It is not the way things were meant to be.

No it cannot, even now that they changed the name to minimum wage it's still not justifieable.

I think the only justification anyone has ever used or will use for slavery boils down to "I will because I can." I don't think that is right or reasonable or just though!

No, Never.

No. You can't own a person. It's not fair.

Yes, though the motives must be the best. Slavery was allowed in the Bible due to the fact that the masters respected and loved their servants, and viewed them as servants instead of piteable slaves. Slavery can not be justified when others justify themselves more than anyone who serves them.

Not only can slavery never be made justified. It can never be made profitable. Fact is Spain's decline came from slavery. Sure slave owners profited but the rest of the population subsidized the operations. A cotton picking slave in the South could have been replaced by one free person being paid for the same job, doing 150% or more as much work, and not needing to be housed or fed. Idiot slave owners should have freed them all and hired them back. And then the more they paid them the more incentive and more productive they would have become. Slavery is not only evil but stupid and unprofitable.

they do have prison work programs... i don't know if they are justified in the eyes of all people

No. But this offers something additional Abraham Lincoln's grandfather was a slave owner in Kentucky. He originally had 3 slaves, but reduced the number to only one. With slaves it was impossible for him to profit on his farm. So he freed his remaining slave and moved to Indiana where slavery was outlawed. His former slave seized the opportunity and moved there with the Lincolns. And both the Lincoln's and that freed slave were far more prosperous. Get this right. The only thing that kept slavery going was government subsidies to the slave owners. And only the wealthy could afford slaves. Therefore, White peons, farmers and the other White majority suffered from slavery as well. So for Blacks. It is not Whites that owe damages. Your government owes it though. But the only way they can pay will to give all Blacks absolute equality. No more of this bull about equal hiring either. Try putting a Black name like Tyrell on a resume' and bet you get no responses. They can't make up for what already happened, but can give truly equaly opportunity to you. -from a White guy, family here since 1690. Arrived as bonded servants under 5 year contracts. Fighting slavery and discrimination since. Never owned any slaves, not even a hired housekeeper. And my great grandfather wounded 11 times in battle to end slavery as well as the Union

Thought I would add a few more slave facts. Most people imagine slaves being whipped and mistreated. While this sometimes happened it was uncommon. Lash marks made slaves of lower value. Unhappy, underfed or ill slaves did not work well. By far the worst features of slavery was selling people as a commodity, parting of families. And also telling them they would have their freedom and never give it to them. Jefferson took his slave Sally with him to Paris when he was ambassador. She wanted to stay. He offered her freedom and some other perks if she returned. She did not get her freedom until after Jefferson died. And this sort of thing was very common. I imagine being offered freedom to have it taken away is worse than slavery itself. Oh, and quite common to "free" slaves when they got too old and sick to work. No retirement considerations.

No, never!

Slavery. The institution of demoting humans from the status of person to object. Sure, objects could do work and accomplish certain feats of productivity. Slaves don't work because they are working for the future, meeting needs, and cultivating life. Slavery is imprisonment. No, it could never be justified. Whatever one is enslaved to controls and overtakes his/ her being. Whether this is abuse, hate, ignorance, or misunderstanding -- enslavement dissolves the ability to think and act independently. Nothing is ever worth having the opportunity to live a real life.

no

No, a person should not be owned.

no never but it was in the past - the British started slavery and they also ceased slavery to some extent we have made many steps to ensure this would never happen again unfortunetly the new slavery is the nasty business of Ethnic Cleansing