Slavery

DefinitionSlavery is when one person has absolute power over another and controls his life and fortune.A slave is usually forced into hard work and labour against their will and has restricted freedom.

EuropeIn Russia, slavery remained a major institution until 1723.In the Second World War (1939-1945), Nazi Germany enslaved around 12 million people.

When did it start?

AmericaSlaves began being shipped from Africa to North America in the 1600s.

When did it start?AfricaThere is some evidence, like prehistoric graves, that suggest slavery began around 8000BC in lower Egypt. In Senegambia around one third of the population were enslaved between 1300 and 1900In Sierra Leone about half of the population were enslaved during the 19th CenturyBetween 1750 and the 1900s, 1 to 2 thirds of the entire population of the Fulani War states (Nigeria and Cameroon) consisted of states

How and why did it start?

In Africa, slavery began because different tribes would fight each other and the winning tribe would choose whether to kill the other tribe or have them as their slaves.

Slavery in America was in some ways similar to slavery in Africa, but the only difference was that in America, slaves were passed from parent to child but in Africa they were born into it.

What conditions were

slaves kept in?Slaves barely had any food compared to the amount of work they had to do.They only had a couple of pieces of clothing to last a whole working season.For sleeping, they would have to sleep on the floor with just a blanket.The dirt on the floor would often turn to mud because of the poor structure of the house letting rain in.

Facts•Many owners stole slaves from each other so they used to brand their slaves with an iron on their arm or chest so they could identify them as their property.•Slaves who died in the ‘Middle Passage’ (crossing the Atlantic from Africa) on ships were just thrown off the ship without any ceremony or last rites.•To stop slaves from initiating an uprising, the crew used to tie 50 or 60 men to one long chain by their hands and feet, keeping them in these chains for up to 20 hours a day

•Some slaves would kill their own children so that they wouldn’t have to experience the horrors of slavery.•One slave, Moses Roper, was caught trying to escape. As punishment he had tar poured onto his face and then his face was set on fire. The following Sunday, he was forced to carry 50 pound weights around with him. After being caught trying to escape again, his hands were put into a vice and his fingers crushed.

Facts

When did it end?In America, slavery supposedly ended in 1863 when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War. This ordered the armed forces to free all that were still enslaved in 10 states that were still in rebellion, applying to 3.1 out of 4 million slaves. For the rest, the army took control of their regions and emancipated them instead of returning them to their masters.

Some aspects of slavery still exist today, for example in Human Trafficking which is the illegal trade of human beings for things like forced labour and sexual exploitation and happens all over the world.