Uncovering The History and Impact of Slave Labor and Slavery

Slavery has been around for thousands of years and seems it will be staying in our world until we as human beings decide to solve this problem -not just in one country or a handful of nations – but to put an end to it worldwide. Slavery dates as far back as 3500 BC, in Sumer Mesopotamia one of the first civilizations. Eventually slavery becomes common within much of Europe during the Dark Ages and continues into the Middle Ages. Throughout this timeline of slavery no one really thought to end it or to rebel against it until the Republic of Ragusa. They became the first European country to ban the slave trade - in 1416. In modern times Denmark-Norway abolished the trade in 1802. Spain, which from 1493 to 1898 possessed the largest colonial empire in the Americas (still including Cuba and Puerto Rico after 1825), with the longest history of slavery. Even in 2012 far more slaves (as well as human trafficking of different kinds) exist than at any time in the past (estimates reaching from 27 mil). The Impact of Slavery

Slavery has caused many things relating to violence and hatred but the biggest and most horrible result of it is human trafficking. It’s not question that human trafficking is modern slavery but what is surprising is just how many people are caught in this system. Human trafficking is the action or practice of illegally transporting people from one country or area to another, typically for the purposes of forced labor or sexual exploitation. According to H.E.A.T Watch, in 2016 there was an estimated 40.3 million people in modern slavery, 24.9 million in forced labor and 15.4 million in forced marriage. From the 24.9 million people that are trapped in forced labor, 16 million are exploited in a private sector such as domestic work, construction or agriculture, 4.8 million forced into sexual exploitations, and 4 million in forced labor imposed by state authorities. Three countries in the South American region that include forms of modern day slavery are, Mexico, Paraguay and Brazil. In Mexico children 'work in extremely precarious conditions, in addition to working more than 48 hours a week, receiving wages of between 29 and 40 dollars per week. To withstand the workloads they often inhale drugs like marijuana or crack.” In Paraguay the people have a tradition called “criadazgo” and it’s when very poor families, usually from rural areas, are forced to give their under-age children to relatives or families who are financially better off, who take charge of their upbringing, education and food. This tradition is actually not for the safety of a child but rather to exchange the child for carrying out domestic work. People do not want to accept it, but it is one of the worst forms of work. It is not a solidarity-based action as people try to present it; it is a form of child labour and exploitation. It is also a kind of slavery because children are subjected to carrying out forced tasks not appropriate to their age, they are punished and many may not even be allowed to leave the house. Brazil has child human trafficking just like the other two countries above and research shows that 47.6 percent of workers between the ages of five and 13 are in the agricultural sector, part of a deep-rooted custom. Slavery in Ancient Rome

Slavery is rooted back to the ancient times: Mesopotamia, Egypt but the most notable time of slavery was in the era of Ancient Rome. Slavery in Rome was a result of battles won and battles lost. Soldiers were taken from the losers in a battle and the winner of these battles would rule them and make them their slaves; it was a justification and confirmation of Rome’s cultural superiority and divine right to rule over others and exploit those persons (slaves) for absolutely any purpose whatsoever. Because of this slavery was so imbedded in Roman culture that slaves became invisible and there was no feeling of injustice in this situation on the part of the rulers. In their system of slavery, the slaves were the lowest class of society and even freed criminals had more rights than those who were enslaved. It was also less cruel than the slavery in America because people recognized that harsh treatment was counterproductive, so laws were provided against excessively cruel owners. Although slavery seemed not bad in Rome it was still slavery and Vincti slaves had the worst kind of slavery. The Vincti were the lot of agricultural slaves, they were usually housed in barrack buildings in poor, prison like conditions and often kept in chains, very similar to how slaves were treated during slavery in the U.S.

The Fight Against Slavery

In the United States of America, slavery no longer exists and this is because of President Abraham Lincoln and others who played great roles in the abolition of slavery in America. It is widely known that Abraham Lincoln (the 16th president) was the president that brought an end to slavery in the 1860’s. In October 16, 1854, Abraham Lincoln delivered a speech regarding the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which congress had passed five months earlier. In his speech, the future president and outlined his views on slavery which he called “immoral”. It was believed this act would set a precedent for determining the legality of slavery in other new countries, this is where Lincoln’s fight on slavery would begin. On September 22, 1862, Lincoln issued a preliminary emancipation proclamation and on January 1, 1863, he made it official that “slaves within any State, or any designated part of a State … in rebellion, … shall be then, thenceforward and forever free.” Just three years after issuing the emancipation, Lincoln would make his final move in the fight to end slavery and it would determine the outcome for the whole country. The 13th Amendment, adopted on December 18, 1865, officially abolished slavery, but freed blacks’ status in the post-war South remained precarious, and significant challenges awaited during the Reconstruction Period. During slavery in America, people revolted and rebelled against slavery. Slaves were deeply angered for being taken from their homes by whites and to be brought back to be a slave until death was horrid. Nat Turner’s revolt was the most terrifying to white slave owners, he had an estimated 75 slaves and they all turned to violence, killing around 60 whites in just two days. Gabriel Prosser and Denmark Vesey notably led slave rebellions as well but, few were successful.

Conclusion

The Great Karl Marx had at least certain theoretical ideas about slavery (his misunderstanding of slavery as “an anomaly in capitalism”), and on the connection between “primitive” accumulation, English industrial capitalism, the slave trade, and slavery. It is clear today that accumulation is (up to now) eternal and that slavery is indeed capitalism. Today slavery is at its peak in capitalism with human trafficking which is modern day slavery. It is going on around the world and some of the biggest companies you know use human trafficking to make their products. In conclusion, human trafficking is a problem … we don’t want it to become normalized and become the next slavery so to prevent it nations need to come together and form a pact banning human trafficking and any future form of slavery to free the world’s people for good.