How the law came to support slavery

Satvinder Juss investigates the shocking legal justifications that were used to excuse slavery in this article published by the The New Journal on 2 October 2020.

In the aftermath of the toppling of the slaver Edward Colston’s statue in Bristol, we saw the ambivalence of those who applauded this as a pivotal moment in understanding the wealth of our cities and those who saw it as violation of a historic heritage. The ensuing controversy, however, obscured the ambivalence of the law, which is yet to be fully investigatedin this much overlooked period of our history. The five men who, on 7 June2020, allegedly unseated the statute from its plinth during a Black Lives Matter demonstration, and rolled it into Bristol harbour, are set to acquire unexpected fame. This is because they have been given cautions on the condition they give evidence to the Mayor of Bristol’s History
Commission.