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What is slavery?
Slavery refers to a condition in which individuals are owned by others, who control where they live, what they do for work for little or no pay. Slavery had previously existed throughout history, in many times and most places. The ancient Greeks, the Romans, Incas and Aztecs all had slaves.
When Enslaved Africans arrived in the Americas, they were often alone, separated from their family, unable to communicate with those around them Life expectancy was short, 7-9 years on many plantations The majority of enslaved people worked on the plantations producing crops such as coffee, cocoa, cotton and indigo and sugar They worked up to 18 hours a day, sometimes longer at busy periods such as harvest. There were no weekends or rest days Children were sent to work doing whatever tasks they were physically able
Women could be separated from their children and sold to different 'owners' at any time