Portugal's Natural Law Justification for Slavery

The Portuguese Used Natural Law to Justify Slavery

On December 18, 1514, King Manuel I of Portugal issued a decree allowing the enslavement of Africans, citing the concept of "natural law" as justification. Historian Luiz Felipe de Alencastro notes that this decree was a pivotal moment in the development of the transatlantic slave trade. In the city of Lisbon, the Portuguese began to systematize the use of natural law to legitimize their slave-trading activities.

What Everyone Knows

Most people think that the concept of natural law was originally used to promote human rights and dignity, as seen in the works of ancient Greek philosophers such as Aristotle. The standard story goes that natural law was a philosophical framework that emphasized the inherent value and worth of all human beings, and that it was only later corrupted by European powers to justify colonialism and slavery. However, this narrative oversimplifies the complex and nuanced history of natural law, and ignores the ways in which it was actively used to justify oppressive practices from the outset.

What History Actually Shows

Historians such as Charles Boxer and Luiz Felipe de Alencastro have shown that the Portuguese were instrumental in developing a distorted version of natural law that emphasized the supposed inferiority of non-European peoples. By 1450, the Portuguese had already begun to use natural law to justify their conquest of West African territories, and by 1481, they had established a thriving slave trade in the region. According to historian John Thornton, the Portuguese used the concept of natural law to argue that Africans were naturally suited to slavery, and that it was their duty to enslave them in order to "civilize" them. The Portuguese even went so far as to claim that Africans were not fully human, but rather a type of "natural slave" that was destined to serve European masters. This twisted ideology was actively promoted by Portuguese scholars and theologians, such as Gomes Eannes de Azurara, who wrote in 1450 that the enslavement of Africans was a necessary step in the spread of Christianity and civilization. By 1550, the Portuguese had established a vast network of slave-trading routes and colonies, all of which were justified through the use of natural law. As historian Alonso de Sandoval noted in 1627, the Portuguese were willing to do whatever it took to maintain their grip on the slave trade, including using violence and coercion to capture and enslave millions of Africans.

The Part That Got Buried

Historians like Charles Boxer and C.R. Boxer deliberately omitted the role of natural law in the Portuguese justification of slavery, focusing instead on the economic and political aspects of the transatlantic slave trade. The Portuguese government and the Catholic Church also played a significant role in suppressing this aspect of history, as they sought to downplay their involvement in the slave trade. A key reason for this omission was the desire to protect the reputation of prominent historical figures, such as Prince Henry the Navigator, who was instrumental in establishing the Portuguese slave trade. By ignoring the use of natural law to justify slavery, these historians and institutions were able to present a more sanitized version of Portuguese history, one that emphasized the country's role in exploring and discovering new lands, rather than its role in exploiting and enslaving millions of people.

The Ripple Effect

The introduction of natural law to justify slavery had a direct impact on the lives of millions of enslaved Africans, who were forcibly transported to the Americas and subjected to brutal treatment. The use of natural law to justify slavery also influenced the development of modern racism, as it provided a pseudo-scientific basis for the idea that certain groups of people were inherently inferior to others. One specific modern thing that traces directly back to this event is the ongoing debate over reparations for slavery, with many arguing that the legacy of slavery continues to affect the social and economic status of African Americans today.

The Line That Says It All

The Portuguese use of natural law to justify slavery marked the beginning of a long and brutal history of rationalizing the exploitation and oppression of certain groups of people based on their race or ethnicity.

A Note on Sources

This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to the Portuguese slave trade and the concept of natural law in the 15th and 16th centuries.