1. History of Slavery

2. Trafficking and Slavery Fact Sheet
You can also find the PDF under “Resources and Materials”.

3. What is slavery?
Slavery is a system in which one group of people is subjected to the power and force of another group.
The practice of slavery is very old.
Slavery has existed in various societies throughout history with varying degrees of harshness.
Slaves were usually considered the property of others.
They were forced to work without payment other than of food, clothing, and shelter.
They could be freely sold or given away.
They were deprived of all basic human rights.

4. Slavery in Ancient Civilizations
Ancient Mesopotamia
5000 B.C B.C.
We know there were slaves in the ancient civilizations, including Mesopotamia.
In Mesopotamia lowest social order was the slaves. One could become a slave in a number of ways: being captured in war, selling oneself into slavery to pay off a debt, being sold as punishment for a crime, being kidnapped and sold into slavery in another region, or being sold by a family member to relieve a debt. Slaves had no single ethnicity nor were they solely employed for manual labor. Slaves kept house, managed large estates, tutored young children, tended horses, served as accountants and skilled jewelry makers, and could be employed in whatever capacity their master saw they had a talent in. A slave who worked diligently for his or her master could eventually buy their freedom.
source: Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient Mesopotamia.

5. Slavery in Ancient Civilizations
3200 B.C. – 30 B.C
Ancient Egyptian society depended on slave labor.
It was provided for the most part by prisoners of war, criminals, and people who could not pay their debts.
Egypt was the center of the ancient slave trade.
In the Bible, a book of the Old Testament called Exodus describes how the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptians around 1200 B.C., until Moses came and led them to freedom.
source: Grolier Online. Redding, Jay Saunders. "Slavery."
Ancient Egypt

6. Slavery in Ancient Civilizations
Ancient Greece
Slavery in Greece was very common. Slaves could be acquired through war or bought at any number of slave markets
Children were also in constant danger of being stolen and sold as a slave. Coastal cities engaged in piracy and human trafficking.
And if someone owed you a lot of money, you could demand them or their family members to act as your slaves until the debt was paid off.
Yet, like all other aspects of Greek culture, Greek slavery also varied from city to city, including the treatment of slaves.
source: Education Portal. Slavery in Ancient Greece.

7. Slavery in the Middle Ages
In the period after the collapse of the Roman empire in the west, slavery continues in the countries around the Mediterranean.
Slaves are employed almost exclusively in households, offices and armies.
Border warfare of the civilized nations surround the Mediterranean Sea resulted in tribal captives being enslaved. In addition to this, market forces encourage the tribes to seize prisoners of their own to service a developing slave trade.
During the eastward expansion of the Germans in the 10th century so many Slavs are captured that their racial name becomes the generic term for a 'slave'.
At the same period the delivery of slaves to the Black Sea region is an important part of the early economy of Russia.
source: History World. History of Slavery.
Medieval Germany

8. Slavery in the Middle Ages
After Muhammad’s (the founder of Islam) death in 632AD, his followers quickly spread out from Arabia across North Africa and into Europe. As the
Islamic Empire expanded, many of its inhabitants became very wealthy.
The Islamic trade began during the 700’s. Like many ancient civilizations, slavery was not seen as evil, but as a part of social order; it was very prestigious to
own slaves.
As a result of the newfound wealth and the attitude towards slavery, the demand for slaves increased.
Slaves were obtained through:
conquest
tribute from weaker states: some states were required to provide hundreds of male and female slaves
offspring: children of slaves were also slaves
purchase: this provided the majority of slaves
Slaves were captured by other Africans in the interior and brought to the borders of the Islamic Empire to be sold in markets.
The law required owners to treat slaves well, provide medical treatment, and prohibited slave owners from taking young
children from their mothers. Despite these protections, a slave had no right to be heard in court (testimony was forbidden
by slaves), had no right to property, could marry only with permission of their owner, and was considered to be chattel – or
an owner’s property.
source: NC Civic Education Consortium .
Trans-Saharan
Slave Trade

9. Slavery in the New World
Europeans brought slavery to the New World in the 1500s.
The South's economy relied on cotton, tobacco, sugarcane, and other cash crops. The planting, harvesting, and processing of these crops required hard, intensive labor. Southern plantation owners made enormous profits using free slave labor.
Most slaves worked in the fields and were called field hands. Thousands more served as cooks, maids, valets, and coachmen. A selected few did the skilled work of masons, carpenters, wheelwrights, and blacksmiths.
Slavery was the main issue that led to the American Civil War (1861–65).
Slavery was ended in the United States following the Union's victory in 1865

10. Slavery in the Modern Era
21-30 million people are trapped in slavery around the world
Slavery generates $150 billion for traffickers each year
SLAVERY is not legal anywhere but happens EVERYWHERE