• 2007 commemorates the 200th anniversary of the 1807 Abolition of the Slave Trade Act.
• In ancient civilizations, slaves were usually captured in war or kidnapped in raids. Captives were often considered the property of those who captured them and were looked upon as a prize of war.
• Over time, people have found other reasons to justify slavery. Slaves were usually considered somehow different than their owners. By concentrating on such differences, slave owners felt they could deny basic human rights to their slaves.
• Around 11 million persons were transported from Africa to the New World as slaves between 1400 and 1866, not counting those who died in Africa or at sea.
• In Britain, Olaudah Equiano, whose autobiography went into nine editions in his lifetime, campaigned tirelessly against the slave trade.
• In 1807, the slave trade was finally abolished, but this did not free those who were already slaves. It was not until 1833 that an act was passed giving freedom to all slaves in the British Empire.
• While 2007 marks the 200 year anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in Britain, today slavery has returned.

Slave Chains

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