Slavery facts for kids
Slavery is when a person is treated as the property of another person. This person is usually called a slave and the owner is called a slavemaster. Slavemasters treated slaves like a possession, and forced them to work without pay. Slaves couldn't leave, make their own choices, or even be with their families. It's incredibly unfair and wrong.
Slavery wasn't always the same. It took many forms throughout history. Sometimes people were captured in wars and forced into servitude. Other times, people were born into slavery, meaning they were enslaved from the moment they were born. Their children were also enslaved, leading to generations trapped in this cruel system.
During the 20th century almost all countries made laws forbidding slavery. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says that slavery is wrong. Slavery is now banned by international law Nevertheless, there are still different forms of slavery in some countries.
Contents
History of the term
The English word "slave" comes from the medieval word for the Slavic peoples of Central Europe and Eastern Europe, because these were the last ethnic group to be captured and enslaved in Central Europe.
Ancient slavery
Slavery existed in ancient civilizations like Egypt, Greece, and Rome. In ancient Egypt, some people became slaves because of debt or as punishment for crimes. In ancient Greece and Rome, slaves did many types of work, from farming and mining to working in homes and as teachers. Many were prisoners of war or people captured during battles. The number of enslaved people varied greatly depending on the time period and location, but it was a significant part of these societies.
Slavery in Africa
Before the transatlantic slave trade, slavery existed in Africa for centuries. It was often different than what happened later. Slaves in Africa sometimes had more rights and opportunities than those enslaved in the Americas. They could, in some cases, eventually gain their freedom or even rise to positions of power. However, this did not diminish the cruelty and injustice of the system. The forms of slavery varied greatly across the diverse cultures and regions of Africa. The methods of enslavement ranged from warfare and debt to criminal penalties.
The Transatlantic Slave Trade (15th - 19th Centuries)
This is a particularly dark chapter in human history. Millions of people from Africa were forcibly taken from their homes, transported across the Atlantic Ocean in horrific conditions, and sold into slavery in the Americas (North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean). This period is often referred to as the "Middle Passage," and it was brutal. Ships were overcrowded, and many people died from disease, starvation, or violence during the journey.
The transatlantic slave trade began in the 15th century and continued for over 300 years, officially ending in the 19th century. Specific dates vary by country and region.
Estimates of the total number of people enslaved during the transatlantic slave trade range from 10 to 12 million. This is a truly staggering number, representing a monumental human tragedy. Many more died during the capture and transport.
The slave trade had a devastating effect on Africa. It disrupted societies, led to wars, and created lasting trauma. Countless families were torn apart, and entire communities were decimated. The loss of so many people, especially young and strong individuals, had a profound impact on Africa's development for generations to come.
In the Americas, enslaved people were forced to work on plantations, producing crops like sugar, tobacco, cotton, and rice. They endured terrible conditions, including long hours, brutal punishments, and separation from their families. The institution of slavery profoundly shaped the societies and economies of the Americas.
Slavery in the United States
In the United States, slavery was legal in many states until 1865, when it was abolished by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. Before that time, millions of people were enslaved, primarily people of African descent.
- The Civil War (1861-1865): A major war was fought in the United States largely because of the issue of slavery. The Southern states, which relied heavily on enslaved labor, seceded from the Union, leading to the Civil War. The Union victory ended slavery in the United States.
- Abolitionists: Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, many brave people fought against slavery. These abolitionists risked their lives to speak out against the injustices of slavery, worked to help enslaved people escape, and advocated for the abolition of slavery. Famous abolitionists include Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman.
Slavery After Abolition
Even after slavery was legally abolished in many countries, forms of forced labor and exploitation continued. These included things like indentured servitude, where people were bound to work for a certain period to pay off a debt, and other forms of oppression. Unfortunately, forced labor and human trafficking still exist in some parts of the world today.
Famous people who were slaves
- Pope Callixtus I (died AD 222)
- Saint Patrick (circa AD 387-461)
- Olaudah Equiano (circa 1745-1790)
- George John Scipio Africanus (1763-1834)
- Denmark Vesey (circa 1767-1822)
- Sojourner Truth (circa 1797-1883)
- Dred Scott (circa 1799-1845)
- Nat Turner (1800-1831)
- Frederick Douglass (circa 1812-1895)
- Harriet Tubman (1820-1913)
- Booker T. Washington (1856-1915)
- Solomon Northup
Related pages
Images for kids
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Relief depicting slaves in chains in the Roman Empire, at Smyrna, 200 CE
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A poster for a slave auction in Georgia, U.S., 1860
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Portrait of an older woman in New Orleans with her enslaved servant girl in the mid-19th century
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The work of the Mercedarians was in ransoming Christian slaves held in North Africa (1637).
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Sale and inspection of slaves
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Barefooted slaves depicted in David Roberts' Egypt and Nubia, issued between 1845 and 1849
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Ishmaelites purchase Joseph, by Schnorr von Carolsfeld, 1860
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13th-century slave market in Yemen.
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Adalbert of Prague pleads with Boleslaus II, Duke of Bohemia for the release of slaves
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A British captain witnessing the miseries of slaves in Ottoman Algeria, 1815
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Slavic and African slaves in Córdoba, illustration from Cantigas de Santa Maria, 13th Century
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Crimean Tatar raiders enslaved more than 1 million Eastern Europeans.
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19th-century engraving depicting an Arab slave-trading caravan transporting black African slaves across the Sahara Desert.
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Slave market in Algiers, 1684
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Arab-Swahili slave traders and their captives on the Ruvuma River in East Africa, 19th century
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A model showing a cross-section of a typical 1700s European slave ship on the Middle Passage, National Museum of American History.
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Statue of Bussa, who led the largest slave rebellion in Barbadian history.
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Slave punishment by Jacques Étienne Arago, 1839.
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Slaves in Cuba unloading ice from Maine, 1832
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Saint-Domingue slave revolt in 1791
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Planting the sugar cane, British West Indies, 1823
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Funeral at slave plantation, Dutch Suriname. 1840–1850.
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Slaves on a Virginia plantation (The Old Plantation, c. 1790).
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A contract from the Tang dynasty recording the purchase of a 15-year-old slave for six bolts of plain silk and five coins.
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Persian slave in the Khanate of Khiva, 19th century
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Workers being forced to haul rocks up a hill in a Gulag
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Modern incidence of slavery, as a percentage of the population, by country.
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Tuareg society is traditionally feudal, ranging from nobles, through vassals, to dark-skinned slaves.
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A world map showing countries by prevalence of female trafficking
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Olaudah Equiano, His autobiography, published in 1789, helped in the creation of the Slave Trade Act 1807 which ended the African slave trade for Britain and its colonies.
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Joseph Jenkins Roberts, born in Virginia, was the first president of Liberia, which was founded in 1822 for freed American slaves.
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Poster for Spartacus
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See also
In Spanish: Esclavitud para niños
