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10 Brutal Facts About Slavery We All Need To Know About

Slavery is the most messed up thing that ever happened in the history of humanity. Apart from holocaust of course. For slavery though, the fact that it lasted for 400 years, so basically 4 generations, is what makes it so hard to fathom. To fathom that another human being would find it okay to treat another human being like an animal and still get away with it because after all it was legal. This is what most people can never be able to fully comprehend.

Also, when slavery was abolished between 1863 and 1865 in most Europe countries, there was still a period that black people would be detained illegally and forced to continue with slavery. Most black people didn’t even know what to do with themselves as they had been born into it and thus many of them continued being slaves even after abolition. It was such a brutal act of humanity and I don’t think anyone of us will forget about it soon. So what are some of the most brutal facts about slavery that we should know about?

1. The slaves were actually sold by their own people

Slavery depiction- Author; Unknown-

If you have watched the movie, ‘Roots,’ this fact is explained pretty well actually. It is such a shame to realize that all the people who ended up as slaves were sold and betrayed by their own people back at home in Africa. There were chiefs who were greedy enough to sell their people to the white so that they would make an extra coin. Also, if the community leader had some sort of beef with you, this is how they would settle scores. It’s very sickening to realize that if  Africans remained united and exercise absolute love to one another, some of these atrocities associated with slavery would never have happened. Although some of them were actually kidnapped, many of them had also been betrayed by their own people.

2. It is estimated about 6-8 million Africans were enslaved

Panel from Diego Rivera’s mural at Unity House, depicting the growing conflict over slavery that eventually led to the Civil War- Author; Diego Rivera-

Although it is not clear when exactly slavery started, it has been estimated that slavery seeped into America at around 1619 and it was seen as a cheaper way of acquiring labour. Of course they would acquire some of the strongest men and women to go work. So if 68 million Africans were forcefully taken as slaves, then Africa at the time was highly deprived of some of its ablest men. The people left behind were the old and feeble; people who could not really be of much help to the continent’s growth.

3. They had what they called breeding farms

Slave children- Photo by Social History Archive on

When you hear the name breeding, I am sure there is a particular picture that comes to mind. You are not wrong on that one. During slavery, they used to have what they were calling breeding farms where they would force some of the most abled men to be breeders. This was a method used in order to gain more workers. I look at it as a form of sexual exploitation because you would literally be forced to have non consensual sex with someone else just so that you can get children. It was a very sick practice and it shows how little regard these slave owners had for human beings.

4. In the UK, the slaves were never compensated after abolition

Abolition of slavery depiction- Author; Indies1-

So by the time Britain freed their slaves, compensation never found their way to their pockets. Actually, it was the owners and traders who were compensated because the argument was that they would no longer be benefiting. Wow! The audacity! The slaves received absolutely nothing in return. All they got was their freedom which doesn’t even count because that is a basic human right!

5. Countless women were sexually abused

Man and woman (slaves) of the Pimlingai tribe, Uap (Carolines) Showing the dark aboriginal type- Author; Dr. W. H. Furness.-

It is no secret that most of the slaves who were enslaved, especially women, were subjected to sexual exploitation and molestation. They would constantly be raped and of course nothing would be done about it. If they got pregnant, the babies, who were known as ‘Mulatos’ would be taken to be workers in the house because they were closest to the Caucasian colour. Most of these kids never even had a relationship with their mothers.

6. Slaves were never allowed to learn how to read and write

Image by Felix Wolf from

When it came to slavery, the major goal of the slave owners was to ensure that they were fully dependent on them. Best way to ensure that was to make sure they can’t think for themselves whatsoever. So, the slave owners would restrict their movements and behaviour through a system of restrictive codes. They were not allowed to learn reading and writing . After all, the slave owners could not imagine having a slave who is smarter than them.

7. So many slaves died while on the ships that were transporting them

Transatlantic slave ship art depiction- Author; National Maritime Museum-

What many people do not know is that when the slaves were kidnapped and some of them sold, they of course did not go willingly and would often try to find a way to escape. Some even opted to throw themselves into the sea. Better die in the water than be forced to be a slave in a foreign land. It is estimated that so many of these slaves never reached the shore. Many of them would also go on hunger strike as a form of showing rebellion. It was indeed such an unfortunate turn of events. I don’t even want to imagine what was really happening to them.

8. Most slaves were bought from  black people who owned them

Slaves at a plantation farm- Author; Library of Congress-

It is said that most of the slaves were already slaves back in Africa. Black on black slavery was pretty common. So, most of them were actually just bought from their black masters. This is part of the history that Africa usually do not want to talk about because when it really comes down to it, all those slaves that ended up in Europe and America were really betrayed by their own people. 

9. There were civil wars in the ships that transported slaves

Slavers bringing captives on board a slave ship on Africa’s west coast- Author; unspecified-

During this era, some of the slaves taken were either kidnapped, sold by their leader or simply given away. Some of the people kidnapped were actually kings and princes. They were actual royalty. But of course to the white man at the time, they were all black so titles really didn’t matter. So imagine being at the ship and seeing someone whom you had beef with. Someone who participated in selling you and now you’re in the same boat, literally, and at that point all of you are just seen as slaves. You would definitely want to settle scores. It is therefore said that many civil wars broke out while at the ship and many people died.

10. Punishment for runaways was so brutal and inhuman

James Hamlet, captured under Fugitive Slave Act of 1850- Author; Unknown author-

Slave owners looked at owning slaves as an investment. So when a slave decided they had had enough and chose to run away, the price to pay was too high. The slave owners would set traps in the field (just like for an animal) so as to capture any runaways. They would be hunted down by dogs and when caught, mauled by the dogs. Even worse, the whipping would be too much. In some cases they would even be sentenced to death and it wasn’t a quick kind of death.