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Top 10 Myths About the Civil War Use these links to return to the page you got here from or to investigate other issues related to this topic. If the Civil Rights Movement is new to you, you can visit our dictionary page from any page in the entire web site by clicking here.
Slavery began in 3500 B.C. and existed in Assyria, China, Egypt, India, Iraq, and other countries in the Middle East. Early Blacks of Africa and Indians of America also had slaves. Some people think all slaves were black. That is not true. The main source of slaves throughout history were people who were captured in war. Other slaves were people who broke the law or who couldn't pay their bills. As the need for products increased, the need for slaves increased, too. Farming gave people a chance to put their prisoners of war to work for them. The Mediterranean countries used slaves from Europe and Russia to work their sugar plantations. In Europe, around 1300, some African Blacks started to take the place of Russian slaves on the plantations. Spanish Conquistadors also had slaves who were captured when they found the new world. Their slaves were Native Americans who helped them search for gold. The Native American slaves also helped the Spanish by fighting to kill other Native American tribes so they could take their land away. If they didn't help, the Native Americans would be killed. Most slaves in the United States were from Africa, although a few were Native American and Asian. African slaves were brought to the U.S. on slave ships to work in homes and on large farms called plantations. Once slaves were in the U.S., all their children were forced to be slaves, too.
Not every black person who came to the United States came on a slave ship. Some were free people looking for a better life in America. Other free blacks earned their freedom by escaping from slavery, earning money to buy themselves, or being set free by a kind master (usually at the time of the master's death.) Alexander Crummell was a black who was not a slave because he was born to free parents. His father's grandfather was a tribal king, so his family was West African royalty. Benjamin Banneker was also a black who was not a slave. His mother married a slave and gave birth to Benjamin. Since his mother was not a slave, Benjamin was not a slave. Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Frederick Douglass were once slaves, but were able to escape from slavery. Slavery existed not only in the United States, but throughout the world. Most slaves around the world were prisoners of war and people who committed crimes. Not all slaves were black. Many slaves came from countries such as Russia and Portugal. Many were Native Americans and people from other countries. They had little education, were poor and worked on farms, plantations, and in homes as servants. |
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