What is slavery? There are two forms of slavery; voluntary and involuntary.

The first form is a state to which an individual will reduce themselves. This is because they are either bankrupt or owe another person. They are to work in this manner of servitude back to liberty, but they do not have the complete lack of freedom that involuntary slaves have. They have more rights than involuntary slaves.

Involuntary slavery is where an individual is taken against their will and against their God-given right to freedom. They are forced into service, without their consent. These slaves were either taken as prisoners of war or they were convicted to a life of slavery because of some crime. They were also privately kidnapped by individuals or sometimes publicly seized by authorities. The descendants of these unfortunate victims were also forced into this life of servitude.

The motive for enslaving other human beings could have been for many reasons, such as economics and the demand for luxuries such as sugar, coco, tea, coffee and cotton. But there is also greed. Slavery as an institution is based upon a system where a few benefit from the fruits of others’ labour.

This is because the ideology behind slavery, which was and still is to reduce others into being possessions and to remove from them their humanity. The slaves were and still are seen as inferior human beings therefore they are seen as incapable of the same thoughts, emotions and desires. Slaves are treated as if they have the same or less value than cattle, or property in general. This allows slave owners to feel authorized to treat them as they see fit.