For Juneteenth: The "Scientific" Argument for Slavery in the American South

Today (June 19) is Juneteenth, a holiday in the United States commemorating the date in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in the state of Texas learned they were free. It is also more generally a celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. In previous years on this date, I have written on the role of evangelical Christians in the 19th century abolitionist movement, the ancient roots…