Liberate Quotes
Although slavery and indentured servitude existed amongst the Ancient Jews, the slaves had to be emancipated after 6 years. The slave owners had to give the emancipated slave a “nest egg” so that he/she could integrate into the community. The reason that this quotation is very important for Americans is twofold: First, many of the Northern states embodied this concept of a maximum term regarding indentured servitude (without the nest egg however). Second and most important is that the Southern slave owners and slavery apologists pointed to the Old Testament as a moral justification for slavery—ie God’s Chosen People had slaves under His law; so it cannot be immoral as abolitionists claim. However, hypocritically they used the Bible to justify their institution of slavery, but never followed God’s requirement of emancipation after 6 years, much less the nest egg concept.