Static page by Marty

~500-400 BCE : By this time slavery had become very popular in Greece and Europe. Slaves made up 1/3 of the population in Greece, and in Rome, many people owned slaves. Slavery was generally accepted, and slaves did not have the right to get married, own property, or the right to a trial. There were two types of slaves, household servants, and those who labored for long hours in mines or plantations.

~400 CE: The fall of the Roman Empire occured around this time, resulting in a fall in international trade. The demand for slaves to work in mines and fields dropped sharply, leaving only household slaves in Rome.

600-650 CE: Arabs and Christians began a war in the Middle East and North Africa, with both sides capturing the opposition and enslaving them. Eventually, the Arabs would win this war, marking the start of the Arab Slave Trade.

650-1900 The Arab Slave Trade lasted during this time. An estimated 11 to 18 million slaves, primarily Africans, were captured during this time. The Arabs had the biggest slave regime in the world.

1600s-Early 1800s This time period marked the time when the Transatlantic slave trade occured. These slaves were sold by Europeans who had obtained the kidnapped slaves from the African traders, either via kidnapping or purchase. An estimated 9.4 to 14 million slaves came to America during this time.

1700s-1865: African-Americans were enslaved on Southern plantations during this period, and these slaves were not considered human, they were merely property. Unlike ancient European slaves, these slaves were solely field slaves, and were treated like property and not like humans.

Present Day: Today, slavery still exists in some forms in the United States, despite the fact that it is not widespread the way it was in the past. Common forms of modern day slavery include enslaving illegal immigrants so they can merely avoid deportation, as well as child slavery so that a poor family can earn money. Sex-trafficking has become an increasing trend, with thousands of women being trafficked into the United States from South America and Southeast Asia.

___________________________________________________________________________



Through my examination of slavery over time, my most striking discovery was the fact that slavery still exists today, which was illustrated by the news clip about a local farmer who had 8-year old children working on his blueberry farm. I feel like I have succeeded in examining slavery as a part of culture, since I highlighted the culutral differences between Arab and European slavery, and I have used ancient sources to capture the life of slaves. Keith Bradley gave the best information because his book was very compelling, and gave a complete and concise description of how slavery was instituted in Europe.