Slavery vs. Slave Trade Overview

Slavery vs. Slave Trade

• Slavery is the state of being owned by another person, forced to work without pay, and with limited or no rights. It dehumanizes individuals and strips them of autonomy.

• Slave Trade is the buying, selling, and transporting of enslaved people. This is a commercial exchange often across vast distances.

Impact

• Slavery affects the enslaved, their families, communities, and society through generational trauma and lasting socio-economic disparities.

• Slave Trade has profound economic, societal, and cultural impacts. It fueled industries like sugar and cotton and changed demographics and cultures over time.

Timeframes

• Slavery has existed across history, in many forms including debt bondage and child exploitation.

• Slave Trade saw a peak, particularly the transatlantic trade, from the 16th to 19th centuries. Other slave trades, like the Arab slave trade, existed before that time.

Legal/Moral Perspectives

• Slavery is illegal in modern times and globally condemned. Yet, forms of modern slavery persist, like human trafficking.

• Slave Trade is also condemned internationally. Protocols and agreements aim to stop this practice. Historical trade has been discussed in terms of reparations.

End of Practices

• Slavery abolition was a pivotal moment in many countries, but its legacy persists in socio-economic inequalities and systemic issues.

• Slave Trade abolition, in many instances, preceded slavery abolition. Even after legislation to end the trade, illegal activity continued.