Introduction
Slavery goes against liberal ideologies and values of contemporary society. Unfortunately, the act of slavery has prevailed in the past as it offers cheap labor. Slavery involves the involuntary subordination of an individual to another. Subsequently, slavery requires coercion and dominance over an inferior society. The act of slavery was fuelled by different objectives in different eras, including the source of labor for plantations and ownership by the conquerors. The objective of this research is to explore the aspect of slavery in different civilizations of the Renaissance, Enlightenment, and the Industrial revolution.
Slavery in the Renaissance and Reformation Era
The Renaissance period is considered the era of rebirth in Europe as society became more civilized and sophisticated. Inhabitants of European nations amassed wealth and could purchase slaves to work for them. Slaves came into Rome, Italy, through the conquered territories. Subsequently, the population of slaves increased significantly in Italy during the renaissance period. Slaves were involved in the construction of architectural masterpieces and participated in agriculture as they were allowed to grow food. Similarly, slaves were able to serve in the Roman households where their labor and hard work was instrumental in developing the city. Moreover, during the reformation period, the slaves could purchase their freedom, and their offspring could become attain citizenship. Slavery was simply a stage of life in the renaissance period where the slave could attain freedom once their master died. Once the master of the slave died, the individual slaves were not transferred to other masters but rather given a defined number of years before they were set free. Zeuske (2012) asserts that the global stretch of the Roman law and European expansion gave impetus to the Atlantic slave trade from 1300-1650.
Slavery during the Enlightenment and Revolution Era (1550-1800)
Slavery was an integral part of the enlightenment period as the Spanish and Portuguese colonies had a significant number of slaves by 1619. The colonial slavery in America is, in fact, an inheritance arising from pre-Enlightenment England. The enlightenment period was characterized by a large population of philosophers who still perceived slavery as a good thing. Subsequently, slavery thrived as Negroes were considered as lower-class citizens who had no intellectual capacity. Similarly, the rise in Sugar cane and Tobacco production in the Spanish and Portuguese colonies during the enlightenment period led to a rise in the Atlantic slave trade. Demand for slaves in the plantations increased significantly during the period of enlightenment. On the other hand, the call to end slavery, especially in America, began during the period (Brown, 2017). Slavery was considered an evil undertaking by the founding fathers of America. The original declaration of independence by Thomas Jefferson denounced slavery as a byproduct of the despotic English rule.
Slavery during the Industrial Revolution (1700-1900)
The industrial revolution in Britain and Europe was a beneficiary of the slavery taking place in South America nations such as Brazil and the West Indies. Britain relied on cotton from Brazil and the West Indies for raw material in the nascent industries (Thales, 2018). On the other hand, the plantations in Brazil and the West Indies demanded labor from West Africa to sustain the sugar and cotton plantations. On the other hand, there was significant resistance to the slave trade in independent America. Slave trade provided free labor to the plantations that fuelled the industrial revolution in Europe.
Conclusion
Slave trade has historically been present in every civilization, but the magnitude and support differ. The Renaissance era experienced slavery that driven by the Roman acquisition of new territories. Subsequently, the slaves of the renaissance era had some level of independence as they could buy out their freedom. Slavery in the Renaissance era was considered a stage in life and not the end-point. On the other hand, slavery during the enlightenment era and the industrial revolution was driven by the demand for commodities such as Sugar and Cotton. Consequently, slaves were considered as cheap labor and owned fully by their masters. Resistance to slavery began during the enlightenment period in America, but the trade continued in other parts of the globe, such as Europe and South America.
