Well said, olivant. There were always writers that condemned slavery and other inhumane practices. There were people of conscience that spoke out and wrote against injustices for as long as history has been recorded. The "product of their time" excuse for slavers is a cop out. Every slaver throughout history knew there was an element of society that condemned their way of life. They didn't care. In most cases, because of profit. Some just felt it was a necessary evil. If people of their race and/or religion aren't doing it, people of another would, and they could end up being the slaves themselves, so they thought. But they knew it was wrong.