Modern Day Slavery In The 19th Century

0.03% of the world’s population is enslaved present day (“What is modern slavery?” antislavery.org). 0.03% of one gallon is about 1.1 milliliters, 0.03% of a mile is 48.3 centimeters. 0.03% of an hour is 1.08 seconds, and 0.03% of 7 billion is 21 million Slavery was not abolished in the 19th century. This crime against humanity still exists today in forms of child labor, human trafficking, and the exploitation of workers (“What is modern slavery?” antislavery.org). At its beginning and during its peak, slavery was seen as a necessity, a tool used to harvest resources and increase profits. Now, it’s seen as another blemish on humanity’s past, merely a bad memory that the world has recovered from, but the fight has not ceased. Modern day slavery—though
13.7 billion Years ago, under mind-boggling Goldilocks Conditions, a colossal explosion occurred, now aptly named the Big Bang. 200 million years later, the first stars were created. The aging and dying of stars produced chemicals, which then lead to the formation of solar systems and the Earth. We, along with everything on this planet, are created from the chemical elements formed in stars. As appropriately written in the article “Big History-A Scientific Origin” by Chris Reidy, “We live inside that explosion. It is still happening.” As the universe still expands, so does humanity’s complexity. So how does slavery connect to the Big Bang, an event that happened 13.7 billion years ago? As said in the article “Did God Create the Universe?” “Scientists believe that our universe began with one enormous explosion of energy and light, which we now call the Big Bang. This was the singular start to everything that exists. The beginning of the universe, the start of space, and even the initial start of time itself” (everystudent.com). All the matter in the universe originated from the Big Bang, and the same can be said for social structures, abstract ideas, and, of course, slavery. But the Big Bang merely supplied the conditions that led to slavery, humans and their agrarian civilizations were the ones that created
They could not create relations or families, nor could they own property…they were merely the property of a particular owner, just like any other piece of property…the only difference was that they could speak.” There was no feeling of injustice in slavery. Slaves were seen as a display of wealth and power, just as an asset, a commodity, and not a human being. Of course, this trend would only continue.
Eventually, when it came to the expansion and interconnection of the world, slavery played a necessary evil. Slavery is what built the Roman Empire, a civilization which shaped and still shapes human ideology today. According to Green, “From 1500 to 1880 CE, somewhere between 10 and 12 million African slaves were forcibly moved” (“The Atlantic Slave Trade”). This was due to the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade, one of many trade routes that transported slaves inhumanely. Slavery is a definite crime towards humanity, but it is what caused economic growth in different regions, which consequently helped expansion in territory, culture, and collective learning. America’s cotton plantation, indigo, tobacco, and rice business thrived along with South America’s sugar businesses (“How Slavery Helped Build a World Economy,” Dodson). Consequently, this growth in the economy increased trade with other areas, especially Europe. The labor of slaves laid the foundation of the industrial revolution, and influenced