When given the right circumstances, and enough authority it is in fact possible for human beings to forget their humanity and act inhumane towards each other. Man has proven under different circumstances that he is able to forget that he is human.
       When Europeans entered Africa, they enslaved the population. The Europeans forgot that Africans were humans too. This mistake led to the enslaving of an entire population of people. Millions of Africans were labeled as slaves throughout Europe and the Thirteen Colonies, later the United States. Because of this early discrimination, racism is rampant within our society. Many Africans were brought over to the "Thirteen Colonies" of the British Empire by a system known as the Triangular Trade. This infamous system operated on the cooperation of The Thirteen Colonies, England, and the Africans, the Ivory Coast. The thirteen colonies would send its raw materials to England to be processed. The processed goods would then proceed to Africa, where they would be traded for slaves. The slaves were then taken to the Thirteen Colonies and the triangle would start again. This system of trade is known as the Triangular Trade because when looking at the path of the boats from above, they form a triangle.
       King Louis XVI was a villainous ruler who put affairs of his castle in front of the affairs of his country. He lived in an elaborate estate at Versailles and he had thousands of servants under his command. He was a money waster. His wife, Marie Antoinette, was known for her spending. In the 1780s there was a bread shortage. The king and his wife lived in luxury, while the peasants starved. This bread shortage is attributed as one of the leading causes of the French revolution. The peasants, who made up 98% of the country, were forced to pay most of the countries taxes. The first estate, which was made up of the Church, paid no tax. The second estate, made up of nobles, paid some tax. The second estate was made up of nobles of the sword and nobles of the robe. Nobles of the Robe did not have to pay taxes, while nobles of the sword did. The third estate, made up of the peasants, all paid tax.  They paid a higher tax than the nobles. After Louis helped The Thirteen Colonies win the Revolutionary war against Britain, they were in great debt. King Louis thought about taxing all nobles, but the nobles were against this. Instead, Louis decided to further tax the peasants. This increased tax, is one of the predominant causes of the French revolution.  King Louis, a powerful man who had his priorities mixed up, was guillotined on January 27, 1793.
       Robespiere, in trying to protect France killed thousands of good, hardworking, and innocent people. He let his power go to his head and for this reason; he was beheaded at the guillotine in 1794. Following the notorious rule of Louis XVI, the French were desperate for a ruler, someone to guide them and help them through hard times. Robespiere was the answer to their prayers, but he did not deliver the ruler that they were desperate for. Robespiere rose to greatness as the leader of The Committee of Public Safety. As head of the committee, he had final say on whom was and was not a traitor. After Louis' downfall, many French aristocrats left the country, and the many that stayed were against the revolution. The Committee's job, was to seek out the people against the revolution and kill them. In doing this Robespiere became delusional. He forgot who the enemy was and began having innocent peasants killed for trivial reasons. One case reported that Robespiere sent a baker to the guillotine because he sold bad milk to some French soldiers. Robespiere forgot that he was human too; he forgot that humans make mistakes and that it was possible to give someone bad milk by accident. Because of his Reign of Terror, he was beheaded at the guillotine, which he sent so many to die by.
       The Japanese forgot that Christians were human, when they persecuted Christians in the end of the 1500's and in the 1600's. In 1587, Hideyoshi, a powerful general of Japan, ordered all Christian missionaries to leave Japan. In 1597 Hideyoshi crucified 26 missionaries and converts. Tokugawa Ieyasu succeeded Hideyoshi in ruling Japan. At first he tolerated the Christians, but in 1614 he banned Christianity because he thought that Christians were a threat to his goal of establishing total control over Japanese society. At this time, there were approximately 300,000 Christians living in Japan. Ieyasu's son, Iemitsu, succeeded his father and claimed the title of Shogun. Iemitsu continued Christian persecution. From 1614-1640, 5000-6000 Christians were executed. From 1637-1638, a  peasant uprising against a local lord erupted in the Shimabara Peninsula and the Amakusa Islands. Since the leadership of the rebellion was Christian, Iemitsu's distrust of Christians was reinforced. In 1639 he established an isolation policy that was created to isolate Japan from the rest of the world. This attack against Christians shows that "Man can forget that he is human."
       Africans, Christians, and Peasants are human just like the rest of us. Under no circumstances should they be treated less equal.