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Slaves

Definition

Slaves were individuals who were captured, bought, or born into a system of forced labor and servitude. They were considered property and were owned by slaveholders who controlled their lives and could buy, sell, or trade them.

Analogy

Imagine a game where some players are given all the power and control over others. These other players have no choice but to do whatever the powerful players demand without any say in the matter. This is similar to how slaves had no freedom or rights and were at the mercy of their owners.

Related terms

Slave Trade: The buying, selling, and transportation of enslaved individuals from Africa to the Americas. The transatlantic slave trade was a major factor in increasing the number of slaves in American plantations.

Plantation System: A large-scale agricultural enterprise where cash crops such as tobacco, cotton, or sugar cane were grown for profit using slave labor.

Middle Passage: The journey across the Atlantic Ocean that enslaved Africans endured during the transatlantic slave trade. It was a brutal voyage marked by overcrowded ships and harsh conditions.