Slavery

A slave is a person who is considered the property of another.  They are a common feature, in name or in fact, throughout history and found on every continent (okay, I'm not certain about Australia, but New Zealand had them.  Oh, Antarctica is probably out too if you want to be technical).  While it is no longer legal to own slaves in any part of the world, millions still live in that particular form of bondage, with varying levels of blind political eyes.  They have served in households, fields, brothels, workshops and quarries.  Most of the world's great empires were built on the backs of slaves.  Who knows how the world would have developed without this awful institution?
    Enslavement of an individual could come about in a variety of ways.  The most common method of enslavement throughout history seems to be the capturing of ones enemies.  The Vikings took slaves (thralls) wherever they raided.  While many slaves originated as prisoners of war, some were enslaved as a form of punishment or to pay a debt (usually relating to a fine for a criminal act).  It has been possible to sell your children, or even yourself into slavery.  In a few cases, it was even possible to buy your way back out again.  The children of slaves, naturally, retained their parents' status as chattel and were viewed as a great economic benefit (though, in the Middle East, the men were often castrated and the children of slaves were often killed at birth).
    Construction was one of the most visible applications of slave labor, but hardly the only one.  Roman slaves were used to build: roads, aqueducts, baths, and arenas (and later fight in them).  The Aztecs most likely used slave labor to build the famous stepped temples (they also sacrificed some of them when they finished).  However, slaves might hold other occupations.  The Romans employed some educated Greek slaves to teach their children.  Slaves were often used on farms, displacing hired hands in the Old and New World.  Oars were frequently crewed by slaves on the Mediterranean.  Children in Feudal Japan might be bought and trained for the brothels (other places gave less training).  African slaves bound for the Middle East were usually intended as concubines or soldiers, with women outnumbered men, two to one.  Slaves could be personal servants and artisans as well; some even earned enough money to buy their release.  Slaves served as the economic underpinning for many societies, providing cheap labor and enabling a luxurious lifestyle for the elite. 
    While most of us connect the practice of the slavery to Africa, throughout history, all peoples have been the victims of this practice.  The Mongols raided various tribes, often selling them through Venice and Genoa (which became very well known slave markets).  Markets in 6th-10th C Crimea were important for trade in the Slavonic tribes.  When the Vikings weren't raiding (to make slaves), they were happy to trade in human misery.  The African slave trade was alive and well, in places like Zanzibar, long before Europeans began transporting them across the Atlantic.  Medieval wars between Christians and Islamic kingdoms resulted in thousands of slaves for the markets.  The Irish, as well, viewed slaving as natural extension to stock trading, with Saint Patrick, most famously having been sold.  Chinese slaves were exported to Portugal as trade expanded in the 16th Century.  Even countries that did not explicitly trade in slaves often taxed them as goods when they passed across their borders.
    The political wrangling surrounding slavery was not all about morality (or even primarily about morality).  In the US Constitution, the "3/5 Compromise" determined that each slave would be worth 3/5 of a white person for the purposes of calculating representation in the House of Representatives.  The Spartans subjugated their Helots (not slaves in name, but in essence) for more than three centuries, but lived in constant state of alert for fear of uprisings, possibly leading to that state's martial character.  The widespread use of slave labor in the fields of Ancient Rome led to ballooning population, unemployment, and the destabilization of the Empire (Roman slaves had three major revolts.  Does "Spartacus" ring a bell?). Much like modern sweatshops paying "slave wages," actual slaves allowed certain economies to decrease costs, lending a competitive economic advantage, but there were significant costs. 
    Like it or not, slaves have played a significant role in human history.  They were teachers and artisans as well as strong backs.  Many of the "Wonders of the World" were constructed with no small thanks to a slave economy.  While they lacked rights and representation, slaves were a significant political issue, even when their own personal freedoms were not under debate.  Their fingerprints can be found on all of humanity's greatest achievements.  



Wiki Survey - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_slavery
 Medieval Wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_medieval_Europe
Ancient Rome - http://www.moyak.com/papers/roman-slavery-war.html
Ancient Rome - http://www.unrv.com/culture/roman-slavery.php
Cartledge, Paul (2002) The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-Heroes of Ancient Greece
Keenan, Desmond (2004). The True Origins of Irish Society
Muslim Slave Trade - http://www.aina.org/news/2006100394917.htm 
3/5 Compromise - http://constitution.laws.com/three-fifths-compromise