Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation. Historically, slavery was institutionally recognized by many societies; in more recent times slavery has been outlawed in most societies but continues through the practices of debt bondage, indentured servitude, serfdom, domestic servants kept in captivity, certain adoptions in which children are forced to work as slaves, child soldiers, and forced marriage.
Slavery in 1632[]
When Grantville arrived in the year 1631, the trans-Atlantic slave trade between Africa and the New World was still, relatively speaking, in its infancy. While the Spanish and Portuguese colonies had used African slaves throughout the 16th century, the trans-Atlantic slave trade had not yet become the major commercial enterprise it had become in the OTL.[n 1] There was some hope that it might be possible to "strangle the slave trade in its cradle," and some up-timers, such as Mike Stearns, had that as a goal.
At that time, the slave trade was largely, though not exclusively, dominated by the Dutch. Also, the role of Dutch economic interests and commercial dynamics in the later expansion of the OTL's slave trade was known. There was concern that those same interests, driven by the same dynamics, would eventually try to expand the slave trade in the NTL.
Grantville did not, strictly speaking, introduce anti-slavery sentiments into 17th century Europe. It did, however, show that history had judged slavery and the slave trade very harshly. It also provided information showing that slave labor was inefficient, and that reliance on it was a liability. Just as importantly, it provided examples of ways that slaveholding societies had transitioned away from slavery. These arguments sometimes carried weight that purely moral arguments did not.
Notes[]
- ↑ Because of this, it is too early to tell what effects the events of the series may have on the slave trade.
Slavery in Trail of Glory[]
Slavery and the role of blacks in the United States was a joint catalyst for the creation of the Confederacy of the Arkansas in 1820.
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