Modern slavery is still a thriving industry with over 27 million people enslaved worldwide. Slavery includes forced labor, human trafficking, arranged marriage, and restrictions on freedom of movement. Children and women are the most frequent victims. Advocacy organizations work to educate people and free slaves. Unfortunately, the answer to this question is yes. According to […]
Slavery was legal in the US until the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and the 13th Amendment in 1865. The Constitution can be amended, as seen with the Bill of Rights and the 11th and 12th amendments. The issue of slavery led to the Civil War and the secession of Southern states. The Emancipation Proclamation was […]
Female slaves in the antebellum United States faced challenges similar to male slaves, but also experienced gender-specific abuse and were often denied education and skilled work. They were considered property and forced to renounce their African customs and languages. Sexual, physical, and emotional abuse was common, and maintaining a stable family unit was difficult as […]
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the US, except as punishment for a crime. Before the Civil War, laws protected slavery. The amendment was passed in 1865 and ratified by 30 states. It initiated the relationship between the Constitution and equal rights for all races. The relationship between the US Constitution and slavery stems from […]
Slavery in America began with the use of white indentured servants, but after the Bacon Rebellion, plantation owners turned to African slaves who were easier to control. The slave trade was facilitated by international trade in rum, lumber, rice, and sugar. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 and the three-fifths compromise helped maintain slavery until […]
George Washington owned hundreds of slaves, including eight in his Philadelphia household. He used a legal loophole to avoid freeing them after six months. Washington knew this was ethically questionable but continued to hold slaves throughout his life. Like many of the Founding Fathers, George Washington’s views on slavery were complicated, not to mention morally […]
Slavery reparations are compensation for enslaved persons and their descendants, primarily in the US. The logistics of reparations, such as form and entitlement, are complex. Precedents for reparations exist, but determining who should pay and how is difficult. Advocates argue that reparations could offset discrimination and honor the black community, while critics believe addressing modern […]
Colonial slavery in America began in the early 1600s and lasted until 1865. African slaves were brought in as indentured servants, but laws were enforced to enslave them. Slavery became a competitive market, and cruelty was based on the perception that slaves were barbaric. The workload was tedious, and slaves worked from sunrise to sunset. […]
Slavery in the US was abolished in 1865 with the 13th amendment, but the process took nearly a century. Economic developments, activism, political action, and the Civil War were factors. The abolitionist movement, religious opposition, and political action also played a role. The Emancipation Proclamation and the defeat of the Confederacy led to the passage […]
Cotton production in the US relied on cheap labor, leading to the purchase of African slaves for use on plantations. Slavery persisted in the South longer than the North, and was a major difference in the Civil War. Native Americans and European indentured servants were initially used, but African slaves became the cheaper option. The […]
Child slavery is the use of children in forced labor, which is outlawed by many nations and the international community. It is prevalent in developing countries and can involve trafficking, domestic and agricultural servitude, and the sex trade. Law enforcement agencies monitor cross-border trafficking, but domestic child slavery is harder to trace. Multinational companies are […]
Bondage involves owning someone else, usually called slaves, who have limited choice and are forced to perform tasks for no compensation. Slavery is illegal in many parts of the world, but some forms still exist, including debt bondage and sexual slavery. In ancient societies, slavery was based on captured soldiers used as forced laborers. Chattel […]
The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution allows involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime, leading to prisoners being forced to work for little or no pay. Compulsory prison labor generates at least $2 billion annually, with the US having the largest prison population in the world. Every American learns in school that the 13th […]
The term “wage slavery” was first used in 1836 by female textile workers in Lowell, Massachusetts. It refers to the condition of most people who earn money for work, and some argue that it only exists when people work in jobs just above subsistence level and have to endure terrible working conditions. Marxian communism aimed […]
