Running Head: HISTORY OF SLAVERY

History of Slavery
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HISTORY OF SLAVERY

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History of Slavery

Tracing the history of slavery makes one believe that human nature is inherently evil,
and morality and virtue have to be learned for the subsistence of humanity. Slavery has been
practiced under several names; for instance, in ancient times, landlords, zamindars, vassals
and lords in the ancient times controlled lands and the people living on it as slave owners
controlled slaves. In fact, the zamindari system survived well into the modern times, and in
India it was being practiced about a 100 years ago (Bhattacharyya 1985). Clearly, it is not
easy to trace the history of slavery, since it has been practiced since a long time. Mel
Gibsons 2006 film, Apocalypto is a great illustration of the ruthless brand of slavery
practiced in the early sixteenth century among the tribes of Guatemala, well before the place
was colonizedcolonization is again another name for slavery. It showed slavery existed
eons ago and race was just another reason to practiced slavery. In modern history, slavery is
mostly associated with racism, because once humans began to go across geographical
boundaries, they began to make contacts with their own kind in different climes, and hence
with different features and skin colors. Naturally, the ones with the technical might won, and
modern day slavery thus became inseparable from racism. It is also possible that the manner
in which slavery is associated with racism is a Eurocentric vision of the world, wherein
history is seen to have begun with European civilization. All the same, it is a fact that slavery
in the modern times is inevitably associated with racism.
The most popular and relevant example of slavery is located around Christopher
Columbus journey to India. As it is well known today, he never reached India, but instead
reached Latin America and exploited the good nature of the local people for power and
wealth (Morgon, 2000). This was a trend that was followed for years and led to mercantilism
and later, colonization. The fact that Columbus Day continues to be celebrated with great
aplomb in the West is an illustration of the manner in which history is the realm of the

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ignorant (Kasum, 2010). While Columbus voyages can be admired, his actions cannot be
forgiven. It is time people realized such facts about the history of the human society.
Naturally, the abolition of slavery was an idea that was popularized in the United
States. The United States ideologies of democracy, when it broke free from the colonization
of Great Britain were in conflicts with the idea of slavery practiced in the nation. With
industrialization, the need for manual labor began to ebb as well, and the nation waged a war
against slavery that influenced the whole world. Today, it might seem as if the human society
has abolished slavery. However, this is not true. Human trafficking is the new form of slavery,
and it is being practiced rampantly across the world (Shelly, 2010). Perhaps the only relief
here is in the fact that human trafficking is illegal. However, children, women, and men are
being kidnapped or forced to sell their bodies for sex and labor across the world. Moreover,
there are places in the world, where laws do not really protect the trafficked. For instance, a
Bangladeshi poor man who came to Saudi Arabia in search of a better income is often turned
into a slave, and this is an illustration of modern day slavery. Similarly, children and women
aew kidnapped and sold as sex slaves only because there is a market for such activities.
Clearly, slavery will persist as long human greed subsists, and the fight against it should
become more loud and vociferous to curb it and destroy it.

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References

Apocalypto. (2006). Mel Gibson and Farhad Safinia (writers).

Bhattacharyya, H. (1985). Zamindars and patnidars: Study of subinfeudation under
permanent settlement. West Bengal: University of Burdwan.
Kasum, E. (Oct. 2010). Columbus Day? True Legacy: Cruelty and Slavery. The Huffington
Post. Accessed on September 13, 2015 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/erickasum/columbus-day-a-bad-idea_b_742708.html?ir=India&adsSiteOverride=in.
Morgan, K. (2000). Slavery, Atlantic trade and the British economy: 1660-1800. Cambridge:
Cambridge Univ. Press.
Shelley, L. (2010). Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ.
Press.