Slavery

Slavery in the past was one of the greatest injustices in our history, and any form of slavery today remains a terrible violation of human rights in our world. The African slave trade was the most horrific form of slavery. Human trafficking and forced child labour and marriage are among the worst forms of modern-day slavery.

Slavery in History

Slavery existed in most ancient civilisations. Slavery in Chinese dynasties goes back to the Shang Dynasty (18th-12th Century BCE). Ancient Greece and Rome had slaves. Western civilisation profited from slavery, especially the Transatlantic slave trade (discussed further below). Islamic civilisations had slaves, including a million white European slaves in North Africa under Ottoman Rule.

In its basic definition a slave is a person owned by another, be it domestic (household), productive (labour) or military (empire, state) slavery.

The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 4) states the following on slavery:

'No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.'

Sadly, some signatory nations do not comply with this. Far from slavery being an ancient evil of past history, there are at least 50 million slaves today. Slavery today is primarily child labour and sexual exploitation.

We shall take a look at the worst historical form of slavery before we turn to modern-day slavery.

The African Slave Trade - the open sore of the world

The great Scottish explorer, physician, missionary and philanthropist David Livingstone (1813-1873) called slavery the 'open sore of the world' and he was on a mission 'to heal' it (Scramble, 1-2). The Doctor was determined to bring 'Commerce, Christianity and Civilisation' (the so-called '3 Cs') to heal the sore and 'redeem Africa' (Scramble, xxv). It was Livingstone's call for Christianity and 'legitimate trade' to be the 'means of ending the slave trade' (Scramble, 77). Instead of the gun, he thought, trade should 'liberate Africa' from this evil (Scramble, xxiv). Sadly, however, despite Livingstone's best efforts, 'the Maxim gun - not trade or the cross - became the symbol of the age in Africa... Europe had imposed its will on Africa at the point of the gun,' as Thomas Pakenham writes. A fourth 'C', that of Conquest, became the predominant one (Scramble, xxv). Despite the many set-backs Livingstone suffered, he stated, 'Nothing earthly will make me give up my work in despair' (Scramble, 4). He found strength in the God he believed in and served. His heart is buried in Africa, although his body was laid to rest at Westminster Abbey in London. His legacy should not be forgotten.

This 'new slave trade,' that was 'eating out the heart of the [African] continent,' as Packenham writes, was first organised by 'Swahili [African] and Arabs in East Africa' (Scramble, xxiv). Livingstone was himself witness once when 'hundreds of defenceless African women were hunted down by [African] slave traders' (Scramble, 19). To such heartless Swahili slave traders, 'business was business,' as 'Slaves cost nothing... they just have to be gathered' (Scramble, 30). Slave markets were also present on Africa's West Coast, and later exploited by European slave traders in the transatlantic slave trade. These coastal markets 'paid Europe substantial profits from the beginning,' as there was no need to interfere in the African interior (Scramble, 17). The white man found these thriving slave markets and profited from this lucrative trade, which was, however, a crime against humanity. It is one thing to trade European goods and products with African goods and natural resources, but another to trade actual human beings!

The estimate of 10 million African slaves that were shipped into the New World, Westward (Scramble, 18), is probably in the region of around 13 million, of which 10.7 million survived the dreaded passage across the Atlantic. According to the best databases, just over 305.000 were transported to North America, but ultimately between 388.000 and 450.000 ended up in the north (less than 5% of the Transatlantic Slave Trade), compared to the over 4.5 million who ended up in Brazil, and almost the same amount of slaves in the Caribbean. The number of slaves shipped Eastwards to Arab lands was considerably higher. According to Cambridge University's African Studies Series, Professor Paul E. Lovejoy estimates that seven million African slaves were brought to Arab lands between 7th and 16th century, and after 1600 around one million per year. Some estimate that the total slaves to the Arab world could have been over 100 million African slaves.

It was a lucrative business for every trader involved, but a horrible tragedy for the slaves captured, abused and transported under the worst of conditions. Africa's 'unspeakable riches' with its abundant natural resources was a major driving force behind the 'scramble for Africa,' since 'colonies gave modern states "power and prosperity"' (Scramble, 12-13). 'Two-thirds of the world's gold supply in the Middle Ages came from West Africa' (Scramble, 16). African rulers and Arab traders, too, were eager to trade with the 'Wasungu' (white man). French-Italian explorer Pierre de Brazza was recorded to have said:

'White men have two hands. The stronger hand is the hand of war. The other hand is the hand of trade.

Which hand do the Abanhos want?'

'Trade,' was their response (Scramble, 148). Brazza described the native traders as 'friendly, industrious, intelligent,' appealing to the French government and people his 'economic arguments' of this African 'commercial paradise' (Scramble, 154). European empire-building in Africa was spearheaded by explorers who knew, like Henry Morton Stanley, that at times 'a peaceful conquest was imperative' (Scramble, 151), although much blood was spilled in wars.

Slavery has been lucrative throughout human history and abolishing it had serious economic consequences. Abolitionists argued that it was morally unacceptable to maintain slavery due to unspeakable human suffering.

Abolishing Slavery

Yet there were brave men and women, African and European, who fought against the slave trade and the institution of slavery. Colonel Charles Gordon, for example, sought to 'deal a death blow to the slave trade,' however, his impotent efforts left him often in despair. He had realised that 'this horrible traffic' could not be stopped 'without ending the institution of slavery itself,' yet it was 'the staff of life in the Sudan and Egypt' (Scramble, 78-85).

English politician (MP) and philanthropist William Wilberforce (1759-1833) spent his life to abolish slavery. He was motivated by his Christian faith to end this immoral crime. He was supported by John Newton, a former slave trader known for the famous hymn, Amazing Grace. Wilberforce was founder of the Anti-Slavery Society and leader in the abolition movement to end the slave trade. Livingstone and Wilberforce were two of many brave men and women who contributed to a dramatic change. Britain brought the slave trade and then slavery to end by 1834, with the first act being passed almost 30 years earlier (Scramble, 18). In 1807 Wilberforce had finally achieved success in the British Parliament and legislation to abolish the slave trade was passed. This came after several unsuccessful attempts since 1789. Finally, in 1833 the Slavery Abolition Act was passed, three days before Wilberforce died.

The USA abolished slavery in 1865 after a bloody Civil War, although outlawed already in 1808. Illegal slave trade continued, yet was fought against and thousands lost their lives doing so. African history professor Sandra Greene noted that slavery 'in West African was not legally ended until 1875, and then it stretched on unofficially until almost World War I.'

MLK's Dream

Despite the achievements to abolish slavery in the USA under Abraham Lincoln, only one hundred years later, a Baptist minister by the name of Martin Luther King Jr., raised his voice and marched wide and far to demand the implementation of what President Lincoln had achieved - equal rights for his fellow Negroes. His dream in his own words:

But 100 years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro [sic.] is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro [sic.] lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later the Negro [sic.] is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men — yes, black men as well as white men — would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

His dream would echo throughout America and the world - and throughout history:

So even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood... I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

His dream and the actions of many brave men and women changed America and the world forever.

Leaders of the
Civil Rights Movement
under the Lincoln Memorial

The Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s had a solid Christian basis and framework. The slaves had already found a deep sense of comfort and hope in the Gospel, evident in their many 'Spirituals.' The biblical Book of Exodus, which narrates the liberation of the ancient Israelites from slavery into the Promised Land of their forefathers, served as a pattern and inspiration for Black slaves, and later segregated and discriminated Black people, to be liberated from oppression. God was on the side of the oppressed and would lead them into the Promised Land of freedom and equality!

Many of the leaders of the Civil Rights movement were clergy men, Christians and Christian ministers. Martin Luther King Jr. advocated civil disobedience on a non-violet basis. They lead their campaigns with civility and dignity. The father of Condolezza Rice, the US's first African-American female Secretary of State, marched in those freedom marches and taught his daughter never to see herself as a victim. It is truly remarkable with what dignity slaves and later segregated and discriminated Black people had managed to conduct themselves and overcome despite what they had to face. 'We shall overcome one day,' was one of their many hymns of hope.

It is also commendable how America, despite its past, has made headway to become one of the most tolerant and multi-ethnic nations in the world. While pockets of racism and problems in the Black communities still exist, Black people are thriving in all areas of life, notably in the music and movie industries and in sports. America has been striving to match its ideal of being 'the land of the free.'

What about today? Is the world free of slavery?

There are an estimate 50 million people in modern-day slavery

Modern-Day Slavery

Sadly, slavery still exists today. Among the worst forms of modern-day slavery are human trafficking, notably for sexual exploitation, forced labour, especially that of children, be it in prostitution, child pornography, workers in factories or mines, or as child soldiers, and forced marriage, including such of minors. The situation globally is getting worse, not better.

According to its report, the International Labour Organisation estimates that there are 50 million people in modern-day slavery (2021), and that's a considerable increase since 2016, especially in forced marriages. The organisation's Director-General, Guy Ryder, stated that 'it is shocking that the situation of modern day slavery is not improving. Nothing can justify the persistence of this fundamental abuse of human rights.' These figures and the situation are indeed shocking and makes one wonder how that is even possible.

We might also wonder why some are so vocal about the past sins of slavery, while modern-day slavery is not getting the same attention. We should certainly take responsibility for past action or inaction, yet we can't undo the past. We can learn from the past and act in the present for a better future. There are plenty of opportunities to do something about it and many organisations are acting against modern-day slavery. Just as the great examples of the past are an inspiration, we too should do what we can.

The recent move 'Sound of Freedom' (Trailer) has caused more awareness of the crime and horrors of human trafficking of children for sexual exploitation. You, too, can raise awareness and act!

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Sources, References

Paul E. Lovejoy, Transformations in Slavery: A History of Slavery in Africa (Third Edition). Ontario: Cambridge University Press, 2012

John Alembillah Azumah. The Legacy of Arab-Islam in Africa. Oneworld Publications, 2014

Thomas Pakenham, The Scramble for Africa. Great Britain: Abacus, 1992

Martin Meredith, Diamonds, Gold and War: The Making of South Africa. London: Pocket Books, 2007

Britannica.com

International Labour Organisation - www.ilo.org

SlaveVoyages.org

Slavery

Slavery has been lucrative throughout human history and abolishing it had serious economic consequences. Abolitionists argued that it was morally unacceptable to maintain slavery due to unspeakable human suffering.

Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement under the Lincoln Memorial

There are an estimate 50 million people in modern-day slavery

Leaders of the
Civil Rights Movement
under the Lincoln Memorial