Slavery (Episode 1): The history, the types and the facts.

10 days ago I came across one of @wolfje's post and suggested Slavery as topic for him to write on. He wrote about it 5 days later though with a different perspective from what I always had about slavery as an African that I am.
I got inspired and requested to write on the topic thinking it is so easy a topic to write on.
Since then, I had written and cancelled more than you could imagine after which I discovered how broad the topic is, how little I know about the topic and how much there is to know about SLAVERY

After trying to put all in an article but failed because of the vast number of school of thoughts and articles, I decided to write about this topic in batches so as to cover a wide range of the topic

Episode 1: The beginning, the types and facts
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What is slavery?

Slavery is any system in which the principles of property law are applied to human, allowing individuals to buy, own and sell other humans as properties.

These sold out humans have no rights what-so-ever, they are entitled to no reward system but are entitled to all forms of brutalization

What brought about Slavery
Civilization which came to ease humans of some unnecessary stress also put humans in the tomb of torture.
Although, evidence of slavery predates written records but during the time of hunter-gatherers and primitive farmers there was no need for slaves because all they did was gathers food for themselves, an extra work force would mean and extra tommy to feed but then we wouldn't just be hunters-gatherers the need for agricultural revolution arose, the need for a larger farm arose, the need for a larger workforce arose, the need for a reliable source of cheap labor arose, I mean labor as cheap as a plate of watery food for 10 and a stone to lay ones head through the night.

These are conditions only slavery could meet, these are conditions war could supply, these are conditions pirates could keep up to, these are conditions unpayable debts would settle for.
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Every ancient civilization used slaves. Slaves were not just captives of war or pirates, they were children born by slaves and grew into slavery, they were kids sold out by the impoverished.

Slavery has dated as far back as:
¤The second century BC in Rome

In the two centuries before the beginning of the empire (the last two centuries BC) slaves were employed by Romans more widely than ever before and probably with greater brutality. In the mines they were whipped by overseers into continuing labor; in the fields they worked in chain gangs; in the public arenas they were forced to engage in terrifying combat as gladiators. There are several slave uprisings in these two centuries, the most famous of them led by Spartacus.

¤The 7th century BC IN Greece
The history of slavery in Greece was recorded according to the leading states back then (Sparta and Athens).
Though Sparta's system was described as Serfdom instead of slavery because the helots of Sparta are conquered people living in their hereditary land but working under force for their Spartan masters.
Those of Athens were opposite because the had no conventional rights, and the most unfortunate of them are the miners who work to the point of death.

These two had the earliest history of slavery before:
The middle Age (6th-15th century)
The Portuguese slave trade (15th-17th century)
Slaves in Babylon (18th century)
Triangular trade (18th century) e.t.c

SLAVERY IN AFRICA

The beginning

Reproduction of a handbill advertising a slave trade in Charleston, South Carolina 1769

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Slavery in Africa started with the [transatlantic slavetrade]( in the 15th century after the Portuguese started exploring the coast of West Africa.
According to The portcities Bristol, the number of the first African slaves were very minimal (1650 approximately) which increased with the demand from Europe.
African suppliers who happened to be the African chiefs and traders had to meet up with demand by increasing the rate of warfare or raid on small villages, towns and community.

The first Africans imported to the English Colonies were referred to as indentured servants

An indenture signed by Henry Mayer, 1738

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By the mid of the 17th century,slaves and their offspring had become legal properties of their owners, they were considered merchandise to be sold together with other goods at markets, they were brutalized when they fail to meet up with the allocated work irrespective of their age, Slaves were regarded as less human, there were mere properties that were passed down from generations, reproduction by slaves were like that of poultry birds (offsprings and mother birds are legally owned).....
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Types of slavery
Debt Bondage
Known as pawnship in Africa involves the use of humans as collateral for loans especially children who are old enough to be added to a workforce. These slaves would only be set free when the debt is fully paid and most often than nor these doesn't happen in ones lifetime as the debts increases with the food and clothes given to the collateral.

Scerfdom
Aterm used in the medieval Europe but later practiced by several African kingdoms, that of Zulu was in the 19th century.
Serfs were tenant farmers who were bound to a section of a farmland and were thus owned by their landlord, they had no rights to do anything for themselves without the permission of their landlord.

Forced labor
As the name implies used force or better still say violence against laborers to get them to work. And If any laborer gets to stubborn to be subdued this violence is extended to his family which is also a means of forcing him to labor.

Chattel Slavery
Chattel slaves were the most miserable slaves, they were a had no right at all.. They are those slaves regarded as properties and sold out amongst other goods and services.

Facts abut slavery

¤The first legal slave owner was in america was a black named Anthony Johnson, he was a tobacco farmer.
¤A black namedWilliam Ellison who was South Carolina largest slave owner in 1860.
¤The average cost of a slave in 1850 was $400 which is about $12000 in today's money.
¤In 1452, Pope Nicholas V issued a papal bull allowing the king of Portugal to enslave pagans
¤ Slaves and owners swapped roles during the ancient Roman winter festival in Saturnalia.
¤..............to be continued

References
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6