Abstract:

The transatlantic African slave trade spanned over four centuries, and stands as arguably the most horrific event in recorded human history. Not as often discussed in the slavery conversation, however, are the realities of religious oppression Africans faced during this era. This article discusses the religious oppression Africans faced as slavery was imposed upon them pre-1776, the freedoms – or lack thereof – afforded to them under the Bill of Rights, and the effects of that religious oppression on successive generations leading up to and beyond the Civil War. The article describes how a deprivation of religious freedom, and not slavery alone, has stifled Black Americans from achieving their full potential. <

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