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Article: Slavery and the Slave Trade
- Article from:
- Europe, 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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SLAVERY AND THE SLAVE TRADE
SLAVERY AND THE SLAVE TRADE.
Slavery has existed throughout history. Most societies have made provisions for it within their structure,
and most peoples have been sources of slaves at one time or another. The expansion of slavery was often a b
y-product of empire building as a dominant power turned its prisoners of war into slaves through conquest. However, from empire to empire there was considerable variation in slaves' legal status and prospects for incorporation into the polity; likewise, within a given society or state, there could be a wide range of status, labor, and opportunities among different slaves.
Indeed, a precise definition of slavery ...