Part 1: Don’t be so quick to assume slavery is over
A substantial number of institutions are supported by the labor of people forced to work jobs that do not pay living wages. This forced labor is modern-day slavery.
Slavery remains very present across the world, and many of us have benefited from the institution. I will be writing a three-part series on this topic, the first part being an overview of my argument with historical background. The second part will be an overview of slavery in the modern United States and what institutions are still in place from the original slave system. The final part will discuss international slavery and the reality that slavery may never actually end.
So, when do you think slavery ended? Was it on June 19, 1865 when the last enslaved people were finally freed? Or was it in the 1960s when Jim Crow laws were made illegal? Or has it ever really ended?
In the U.S., slavery was fundamental to American advancement. You probably don’t realize how many lasting effects were produced by the institution. Even Harvard University used slave labor in the 1700s.
Skipping ahead, slavery was abolished at the end of the Civil War with the 13th Amendment. However, there was a significant catch: the 13th Amendment permits slavery as a punishment for crime. By that logic, prisons across the U.S. have full domain to use slave labor.
The ideals of slavery persisted with the Jim Crow laws in Southern states and de facto segregation across the North. Segregation existed in the South as a legal method of oppression compared to the more social form in the North, where there wasn’t the same level of enforcement.
These social tendencies have continued into the modern era with the racist concept of redlining: forcing people to buy properties in certain, typically low-income areas. Redlining was technically made illegal, along with Jim Crow laws, the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
But, as with the abolishment of slavery, loopholes in our government allow for these outdated and discriminatory practices to continue.
Through this series, I will argue that slavery is still a real institution that exists both abroad and domestically. Although it doesn’t behave in the same ways it did in the past, the beast of slavery has evolved in different ways around the world.
The question I am seeking to answer is this: How is it possible to end slavery and beat an institution that has lasted longer than recorded history? Find out in Part 2.
