Modern Slavery
Lehman, David Lehman 1
English 2 Honors Gifted
14 May 2007
Mrs. K. Doyle
Modern Slavery Our sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln spoke the following words in the Emancipation Proclamation, which were meant to free all slaves in the United States from bondage in 1863.
“That on the first day of January A.D. 1863, all persons held as slaves within any state or designated part of a state the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the
United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the executive government of the United States, including the military and Naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons and will do no acts or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.” It is amazing to think that slavery can be practiced in today’s society. In fact there are more than twenty million people working as slaves in our modern, more “civilized” society. Several different injustices are classified as slavery: bonded labor, early and forced marriage, forced labor, slavery by descent, trafficking, and child labor. According to www.antislavery.org, slaves are forced to work because of fear, are owned or controlled by an owner, dehumanized, and are restricted in their freedom or movement. Slavery began in the United States in the country’s earlier years. Slaves were brought from Africa on crowded ships. They were taken from their families and Lehman 2 friends. Today’s slave trade is, unfortunately, not much different. Children are taken from their families in India to weave carpets for food. Children are captured for prostitution in Asia. The governments of these regions choose to look the other way because child prostitution is a reason for some tourists to visit and spend money (Ricco 1&2). Many people that are called modern slaves but are usually forgotten about are forced to work in
English 2 Honors Gifted
14 May 2007
Mrs. K. Doyle
Modern Slavery Our sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln spoke the following words in the Emancipation Proclamation, which were meant to free all slaves in the United States from bondage in 1863.
“That on the first day of January A.D. 1863, all persons held as slaves within any state or designated part of a state the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the
United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the executive government of the United States, including the military and Naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons and will do no acts or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.” It is amazing to think that slavery can be practiced in today’s society. In fact there are more than twenty million people working as slaves in our modern, more “civilized” society. Several different injustices are classified as slavery: bonded labor, early and forced marriage, forced labor, slavery by descent, trafficking, and child labor. According to www.antislavery.org, slaves are forced to work because of fear, are owned or controlled by an owner, dehumanized, and are restricted in their freedom or movement. Slavery began in the United States in the country’s earlier years. Slaves were brought from Africa on crowded ships. They were taken from their families and Lehman 2 friends. Today’s slave trade is, unfortunately, not much different. Children are taken from their families in India to weave carpets for food. Children are captured for prostitution in Asia. The governments of these regions choose to look the other way because child prostitution is a reason for some tourists to visit and spend money (Ricco 1&2). Many people that are called modern slaves but are usually forgotten about are forced to work in
Cited: Anti-Slavery “What is modern slavery?” 22 April 2007 . Gilmore, Janet “Modern Slavery Thriving in the U.S.” UC Berkeley Press release. 23 September 2004 . Ricco Villanueva “ Modern Slavery Human Bondage in Africa, Asia, and the Dominican Republic.” 18 April 2001 .