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Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage.
Jun 2, 2024 · Learn about the characteristics, causes, and types of slavery in different societies and historical periods. Explore the sources, effects, and abolition of slavery with Britannica's experts.
- Slavery is a condition in which one human being was owned by another. A slave was considered by law as property, or chattel, and was deprived of mo...
- Whether statues of slaveholders or other controversial people should be taken down is widely debated. Some argue the statues misrepresent history a...
- Whether the federal government should pay reparations to the descendants of enslaved people is hotly debated. Some say the wealth and health dispar...
Aug 19, 2019 · The trans-Atlantic slave trade, which began as early as the 15th century, introduced a system of slavery that was commercialized, racialized and inherited. Enslaved people were seen not as...
The history of slavery spans many cultures, nationalities, and religions from ancient times to the present day. Likewise, its victims have come from many different ethnicities and religious groups. The social, economic, and legal positions of slaves have differed vastly in different systems of slavery in different times and places.
- When Did Slavery Start in America? Slavery and the Presidency. In the 17th and 18th centuries, enslaved Africans worked mainly on the tobacco, rice and indigo plantations of the southern coast, from the Chesapeake Bay colonies of Maryland and Virginia south to Georgia.
- Cotton Gin. Civil War Culture. In the late 18th century, with the land used to grow tobacco nearly exhausted, the South faced an economic crisis, and the continued growth of slavery in America seemed in doubt.
- Living Conditions of Enslaved People. Enslaved people in the antebellum South constituted about one-third of the southern population. Most lived on large plantations or small farms; many enslavers owned fewer than 50 enslaved people.
- Slave Rebellions. Slavery in America. Rebellions among enslaved people did occur—notably, ones led by Gabriel Prosser in Richmond in 1800 and by Denmark Vesey in Charleston in 1822—but few were successful.
Learn what modern slavery is, how it affects millions of people worldwide, and what you can do to stop it. Explore the different types of slavery, such as human trafficking, forced labour, debt bondage and more.
Sep 12, 2022 · The latest Global Estimates of Modern Slavery reveals that forced labour and marriage have increased over the last five years, affecting mostly women and children. The report calls for stronger laws, enforcement, social protection and ethical recruitment to end this fundamental human rights abuse.
