The disappearance of Canaan: the Curse of Ham and the justification of slavery in modern times

This essay examines some of the early modern constructions of the so-called “Curse of Ham”. The “Curse of Ham” is based on the story of Genesis 9 in which Ham, one Noah’s sons, sees his father’s nakedness, and in response Noah curses Ham’s son, Canaan, to servitude. Though Ham is not cursed and race is never discussed in the biblical text, the “second curse (or fall) of Ham” became an ideological and theological defense for African slavery and then American segregation. How did this happen? By looking closely at early modern exegesis, sermons, and commentaries, this essay argues that figuratively and rhetorically eliminating Canaan from the biblical text was a crucial first step in the creation of the myth of a cursed and servile Ham.