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The Ancient World
- Building Societies – What Does it Take? – Lesson
- Building Societies – What Does it Take? – Quiz
- Athens, Rome, and Jerusalem: Where Western Civilization Began – Lesson
- Athens, Rome, and Jerusalem: Where Western Civilization Began – Quiz
- Persia: Where Fake News Began? – Lesson
- Persia: Where Fake News Began? – Quiz
- Tell Brak: The World’s Most Ancient City? – Lesson
- The Key to Ancient Egypt: Rosetta Stone 200 Years On – Lesson
- The Key to Ancient Egypt: Rosetta Stone 200 Years On – Quiz
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World History
- Slavery: An Ancient Evil That Still Exists Today – Lesson
- A Tale Of Two Sacrifices – Part I – Lesson
- A Tale Of Two Sacrifices – Part II – Lesson
- The Story Behind the Israel-Palestine Conflict – Lesson
- Churchill Vs. Hitler: Standing Up for Europe – Lesson
- War, Peace, and School Bullies – Lesson
- Survey Says: Millennials and Gen Z Just Don’t Know the Holocaust – Lesson
- V-J Day: Celebrating 75 Years Since Japan’s Surrender – Lesson
- A History of Ukraine: Battleground for Empires – Part 1 – Lesson
- A History of Ukraine: Battleground for Empires – Part 1 – Quiz
- A History of Ukraine: Battleground for Empires – Part 2 – Lesson
- A History of Ukraine: Battleground for Empires – Part 2 – Quiz
- History of the Holy Land – Quiz
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U.S. Allies and Rivals
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Around the Globe Today
- Chinese Uighurs – What Is Going On? – Lesson
- A New Republic – Barbados Removes the Queen as the Head of State – Lesson
- A New Republic – Barbados Removes the Queen as the Head of State – Quiz
- Venice Makes a New Rule for Tourists – Will Other Cities Follow? – Lesson
- Venice Makes a New Rule for Tourists – Will Other Cities Follow? – Quiz
- Professor Lives Underwater for 100 Days – Lesson
- Professor Lives Underwater for 100 Days – Quiz
- Setenil de las Bodegas – The Spanish Town Built Under a Rock – Lesson
- Setenil de las Bodegas – The Spanish Town Built Under a Rock – Quiz
- Hat of Napoleon Bonaparte Sells for Over $2 Million at Auction – Lesson
- Hat of Napoleon Bonaparte Sells for Over $2 Million at Auction – Quiz
- The UK Plans to Measure Kids’ Bellies to Monitor Their Health – Lesson
- The UK Plans to Measure Kids’ Bellies to Monitor Their Health – Quiz
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Politics and Economics Around the Globe
Slavery: An Ancient Evil That Still Exists Today – Lesson
Slavery still hasn’t been removed from the world.
From the earliest civilizations, people have taken others as slaves. Most people in the Western world today agree that slavery is a crime against humanity. Not everyone throughout history has seen it this way, though, and it was a part of society for thousands of years in nearly every culture around the globe – and, in many places, it still exists today.
Slavery the World Over
In China, the Great Wall was built with forced labor. Historians estimate that around one million Chinese slaves died during the construction.
In ancient Mexico, the Aztecs built their society on slavery. Foreign tribes who were captured during wars could experience severe treatment, including being sacrificed in religious rituals.
Ancient Rome and Greece were also built on slavery, and one can even find slavery described in the Bible.
There is one place that has had more slavery than anywhere else in the world: Africa. Here, tribes met people from the Middle East and Europe who had various goods that they wanted to buy, such as guns. They offered slaves as payment. Some African tribes became wealthy from the slave trade.
According to Ghanaian professor and minister John Azumah, around 11 million African slaves ended up in the Americas, mostly the Caribbean and South America. The United States also has a history of slavery; around 400,000 slaves were shipped here. The Spanish and Portuguese brought more than ten million African slaves to South America and the Caribbean. Europeans participated in the African slave trade for around 300 years, from the 16th to the 19th century. The practice was mostly not accepted in their homelands, but it flourished in the colonies in the Americas.
The Abolition Movement
In the United Kingdom, there was a movement to abolish slavery, and by 1833 the British Parliament enacted the Slavery Abolition Act, which bought slaves in most of the British Empire their freedom. This was mostly led by Christians, who found the practice inhumane and barbaric.
In the United States, abolition was achieved by the Republican Party under President Abraham Lincoln. Slavery was finally abolished in America by the end of the Civil War in 1865, with the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution.
Modern Slavery
Because of the influence of the United States and the United Kingdom, there is far less slavery today in the world than at any other time in recorded history. But there are still many slaves. According to the United Nation’s International Labor Organization, there are 40 million slaves in the world today.
Africa is still the place with the most slavery. Today, nearly 1% of Africans are held as slaves. After the civil war in Libya, there are now markets where blacks are sold openly.
The Future of Slavery
What will the future of slavery be? History has shown that slavery is the norm and that we are living in an unusual time where Christians abolished the practice, and not only in the West. Yet we can see examples of places that are returning to the practice. Will the future see the eradication of slavery, or will it become common once again?