Historians
History of Slavery
Instructions:-
Create a proposal of 2 pages that references one academic scholarly source for the research project you intend to complete. This project should engage at least one academic source, should include an introduction and thesis to the best extent that you know it at this point in time, and should locate a central controversy that requires deft and subtle handling. Be sure to adhere to APA style for in-text citation and final reference page. (No cover page is needed.)
Solution
History of Slavery
Slavery is among the atrocities that individuals experienced during the colonial period. The history of slavery cuts across religions, nationalities, and cultures from the antiquity to the contemporary society. It is noteworthy that the slaves’ legal, economic as well as social positions varied greatly based on the system of slavery that was being utilized in different places and times. Some historians contend that the history of slavery is as old as the history of civilization. Particularly, Western slavery started in Mesopotamia (the present day Iraq) approximately 10,000 years ago (New Internationalist, 2001). The proposed research project will investigate the history of slavery and the impact of this history on the contemporary society.
Statement of the Problem
Historians have come up with different definitions of the term “slavery”. Such definition has been broadening and expanding to encompass more and more practices over the past 100 years (Bales, 2005). In other words, there is lack of a single, anniversary accepted definition of the term “slavery”. Notably, it was difficult to determine the extent of power that the masters exercised over the slaves for them to be referred to as true slaves. Moreover, the controversy surrounding the definition of slavery intensified with the introduction of abolition. It is also important to note that slavery was largely involuntary before the introduction of voluntary slavery laws during the 1850s (Morris, 2004). Moreover, the individuals who were born in the households of their masters were not deemed as slaves because they could claim their freedoms anytime.
Significance of the Research Project
The proposed research project will be of great significance to historians, descendants of the former slaves, and the wider society. Notably, it will bridge the gap in history literatures regarding the definition of slavery. However, it is noteworthy that the proposed project will not provide a single definition of slavery but rather examine the arguments and counterarguments regarding to the possible definitions of slavery. Specifically, the study will provide a discussion on the so-called League definition of slavery. It will also differentiate between individuals who were sold as slaves and those that were born in the households of their masters, commonly referred to as praedial slaves, serfs or “domestic slaves” (Miers, 2003, p. 207). Moreover, the insight gained from the proposed study will assist the global governments to determine whether or not slavery still exists in their territories. It is argued that slavery is still practiced in some countries even though the practice is not more overt as it used to be during the ancient times. On the other hand, the study will also provide the economic contribution of slavery to the New World and its role in shaping modern nations.
Methodology
The proposed study will employ a qualitative research methodology of the secondary sources. A research design is defined as the strategy that can be used for conducting a certain study and the plan on how to conduct carry out the strategy. The descriptive research design is suitable for the proposed research project because it will facilitate the researcher to describe prevalent issues relating to the history of slavery. The secondary sources that will be used in conducting the research project include relevant books, journal articles, and government website. Such sources will be accessed to determine their relevance to the research topic. The materials will be sourced from various online databases.
References
Bales, K. (2005). Understanding Global Slavery: A reader. New York: University of North Carolina Press.
Miers, S. (2003). Slavery in the Twentieth Century: The Evolution of a Global Problem. New York: Rowman Altamira.
Morris, T. D. (2004). Southern Slavery and the Law, 1619-1860. New York: University of North Carolina Press.
New Internationalist. (2001). A brief history of slavery. Retrieved from https://newint.org/features/2001/08/05/history/