re: Slavery

Slavery has existed in one form or another on every continent in every age.

Early civilizations enslaved people for lots of things that had not-so-much to do with race.

In the Old World, people could be enslaved because they incurred debts they could not pay.

They could be enslaved because they were born into the slave class of their countries’ social orders.

They could be taken as captives and made to be slaves after their nations lost battles. And if there were particularly ferocious warriors taken as captives, THOSE guys tended to be sold off pretty quick because they were valuable and posed a lingering threat to the nation/tribe/government that had conquered their nation.

If already a slave, they could be offered as part of a peace agreement between warring nations.

They could be taken as slaves because of their religious beliefs - Christians were taken as slaves by Muslims and Muslims by Christians, for example.

Slavery has been practiced by just about every government on planet Earth.

It’s our default setting. And by *our,* I mean humans.

We have to make special efforts and laws to make ourselves NOT do it.

I learned all this in high school and college history classes, so there’s no telling how much of it is true, lol.