History of slavery
historical aspect / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The history of slavery happens over many cultures, nationalities, and religions. Slavery has happened from ancient times to the present day. Its victims have come from many different ethnicities and religious groups. People's social, economic, and legal beliefs about slaves have changed throughout history.[1]
Slavery was used very little in some hunter-gatherer populations.[2][3] When people used agriculture, there were more times to use chattel slavery.[4] Slavery was an institution in the first civilizations. For example, slavery happened in Sumer in Mesopotamia.[5] Slavery was mentioned in the Mesopotamian Code of Hammurabi (c. 1750 BC). This Code calls slavery and institution that was in place.[6] In the ancient world, slavery became common in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.[7][8][4]
It became less common in Europe during the Early Middle Ages. Both Christians and Muslims enslaved each other in times of war in the Mediterranean and Europe.[9] Islamic slavery happened in Western and Central Asia, Northern and Eastern Africa, India, and Europe from the 600s to 1900s. Islamic law allowed enslavement of non-Muslims. Slaves here were usually trafficked from non-Muslim places: the Balkan slave trade, the Crimean slave trade, the Bukhara slave trade; the Andalusian slave trade, the Trans-Saharan slave trade, the Red Sea slave trade, and the Indian Ocean slave trade.
Starting in the 16th century, the transatlantic slave trade begin. This trade was started by merchants from Portugal. They mostly bought imprisoned Africans for gold and ivory from West African kingdoms. They took the slaves to Europe's colonies in the Americas. The merchants sold slaves for popular goods, such as gun, gunpowder, copper manillas, and cloth. This trade had high demand. The slave trade started many wars and larger enslavement of Africans.[10] In India and the New World, slaves were apart of the workforce. The transatlantic slave trade eventually stopped after governments abolished slavery. There were many efforts to stop slavery in practice. For example, the British Preventative Squadron, and the American African Slave Trade Patrol were used to stop slavery.
Recently, human trafficking is an international problem. It is thought that about 25–40 million people were enslaved in 2013. Many of these slaves were in Asia.[11] During the 1983–2005 Second Sudanese Civil War, many people were taken into slavery.[12] In the late 1990s, there was evidence of child slavery and trafficking on cacao plantations in West Africa.[13]
Slavery in the 21st century continues and creates about $150 billion in profit every year.[14] Regions with armed conflict are more likely to have slavery. Modern transportation has made human trafficking easier.[15] In 2019, there were almost 40 million people in slavery. 25% of these were children.[14] 61% are used for forced labor. 38% live in forced marriages.[14] Other types of modern slavery are prison labor, sex trafficking, and sexual slavery.