Slavery

Slavery is an economic system where one person is owned as property by another.

This ownership typically involves compulsory labor. The enslaved person's residence and work location are dictated by the person holding them in bondage. Enslavement is the process of placing a person into this state. While the term "slave" is common, many historians prefer "enslaved person." This shift in terminology recognizes the person's humanity rather than reducing them to a nonhuman noun.

There are several distinct types of slavery that have existed throughout history. The most prominent form is chattel slavery. In this system, the enslaved person is legally rendered as personal property, or "chattel." Like livestock, they can be bought and sold at will.

Another concept is de facto slavery. This describes the actual conditions of unfree and forced labor that most slaves endure. There is also debt bondage, or indenture. This occurs when a person pledges themselves as collateral to pay off a debt. This debt can sometimes be passed down through generations to children.

People have entered slavery through many different mechanisms. Some were captured as prisoners of war following military defeats. Others were enslaved due to legal violations or because they became heavily indebted. In many historical instances, enslavement was instituted along demographic lines, such as race or sex.

While most slavery is involuntary and involves coercion, some people have voluntarily entered it. This has happened in cases of extreme poverty to earn money or settle debts.

Historically, slavery was a common feature of many civilizations. It served as a keystone of society in ancient Greece and the Roman Empire.

It was also practiced in Medieval Egypt and across Sub-Saharan Africa. In the Americas, it was a major institution in Brazil and the Caribbean. The Iroquois people practiced a different form of captivity. They held captives to assimilate them into Iroquois culture. In their system, children of those in bondage eventually became full members of society.

Beginning in the 18th century, abolitionist movements sought to end slavery. These movements argued that slavery violated the fundamental rights of people.

Abolitionism faced extreme resistance but eventually succeeded in many places. France abolished slavery in 1794, though Napoleon reintroduced it in 1802. Permanent abolition in France did not occur until 1848. In the United States, slavery was abolished in 1865 following the Civil War. Brazil was the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery in 1888. In the Arabian Peninsula, legal chattel slavery ended in the 1960s and 1970s. Mauritania was the last country to abolish it in 1981.

Despite being outlawed in all countries, modern slavery still exists. In 2019, approximately 40 million people were still living in enslaved conditions.

About 26% of these people were children. In the modern world, more than 50% of slaves provide forced labor. This often happens in the factories and sweatshops of the private sector. Other modern forms include human trafficking, which is the fastest-growing form of forced labor. It also includes child soldiers, forced marriages, and debt bondage.

Economists have studied why slavery appears and disappears in different societies. One model suggests slavery is more desirable when land is abundant but labor is scarce. In such cases, landowners find it more efficient to own labor than to pay high wages. Conversely, when populations grow and labor becomes plentiful, slavery often decreases. This transition from slavery to serfdom occurred gradually in Europe. However, slavery was reintroduced in the Americas and Russia when large areas of land became available with few inhabitants.