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Haiti: the Only Successful Slave Revolt
In 1804, Haiti became the first country to be founded by former slaves. Spurred by the French Revolution's claims to liberty and equality, the island revolted in 1791 and won its freedom in 1804 led by Toussaint L'Overture, a former slave (and slave owner). The Haitians abolished slavery, but no international support meant continued poverty for most of the former slaves and new country. Image: Toussaint L'Overture (1805)
Source: https://www.biography.com/people/toussaint-louverture-9509252 -
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Introduction: A Long Global Process
Ending coerced labor, both slavery and serfdom, was a long, global process. Although in some cases the reasons for ending slavery and the slave trade were based on the Enlightenment promise that "all men are created equal", in many cases the decision was economic or an effort to modernize or the result of international efforts to end the slave trade. However, there was and are many forms of coerced labor that tend to get less attention. Slavery conditions persist in many parts of the world. -
British Empire: Abolition of Slave Trade Act
In the 18th century, numerous abolitionist societies emerged in England, often led by Quakers and inspired, in part, by the Enlightenment. In 1807, the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act was passed, banning the slave trade in the British Empire. The British became a leader in enforcing the ban and in encouraging other nations to abolish slavery. Image: William Wilberforce, leading abolitionist.
Source: https://www.wilberforceschool.org/about-us/william-wilberforce -
Russia: Abolition of Serfdom
In 1861, stung by his country's loss in the Crimean War, Russian Tsar Alexander II issued the Emancipation Manifesto. This reform, along with 17 legislative acts, freed the Russian serfs. Unfortunately, many of the serfs were unable to claim their new rights to land and freedom and most remained extremely poor. Image: Barge Haulers on the Volga, by Ilya Repin (1870-73)
Source: https://www.guggenheim.org/arts-curriculum/topic/art-and-society -
United States: Passage of the 13th Amendment
In 1865, after four years of civil war, the United States ratified the 13th amendment. In 1863, President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation but it took an amendment to formally abolish slavery. Image: Emancipation, by Thomas Nast (1865)
Source: https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/13thamendment.html -
Brazil: Last in the Western Hemisphere
Brazil received the highest number of slaves in the Americas because of its plantation system and mines. By 1888, 40% of its population was enslaved. In 1888, the Golden Law abolished slavery in Brazil. This was probably passed because the high number of European laborers made slavery too expensive and because of pressure from trading partners. Image: The Rio Team (1856)
Source: https://library.brown.edu/create/fivecenturiesofchange/chapters/chapter-3/slavery-and-aboliton/ -
Brussels: First Treaty for the Suppression of the Slave Trade
In 1890, following the Brussels Anti-Slavery Conference, the first treaty concerning the suppression of the slave trade went into effect. It aimed to stop slavery in the Congo basin, the Ottoman Empire, and in the Indian Ocean. The major industrialized powers in Europe signed it, along with others, including the UK, France, Germany, Portugal, the Congo Free State, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Russia, the United States, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, Zanzibar, Denmark and Persia. -
China: Qing Dynasty abolishes slavery
In 1906, the Qing Dynasty passed a law that took effect in 1910. It converted adult slaves into hired laborers and freed child slaves as of the age of 25. There has been slaves in China as far back as 2000 BCE, though some earlier rulers had temporarily abolished slavery. Today, according to the Global Slavery Index, .25% of the population or more than 3 million people still live in slavery. Image: modern slavery slavery.http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1635144,00.html -
League of Nations: Convention to Suppress the Slave Trade and Slavery
In 1926, the League of Nations issued the Convention to Suppress the Slave Trade and Slavery. In 1953, the UN amended the convention and reaffirmed its commitments, leading to ratification by 99 member countries, beginning with Australia and other British Commonwealth countries in 1955 and ending with Kazakhstan in 2008. Source: World Digital Archive, https://www.wdl.org/en/item/11573/ -
United Nations: Freedom as a Human Right
In 1948, the United Nations passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 4 proclaims: "No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms." Image Source: http://www.un.org/en/index.html -
Mauritania: Last Country to Abolish Slavery
In 1981, Mauritania became the last country in the world to formally abolish slavery. However, it did not criminalize slave-owning until 2007 and in the next five years, only one slave owner was successfully prosecuted. According to the Global Slavery Index, 1% of the population is still living as slaves, showing how difficult it is to end in practice. Image: escaped Mauritanian slave (2012).
Source: http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/03/world/mauritania.slaverys.last.stronghold/index.html -
The World Today: A Persistent, Illegal Problem
According to the Global Slavery Index, there are more than 40 million people living in slave conditions. Most countries in the world, though it is an illegal practice, do not prosecute modern slave owners and slave traders. The problem exists in 167 countries, though 58% live in India, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. Countries taking the most action to end modern slavery include the US, Netherlands, the UK, Sweden, Croatia, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, and Norway.
