一個人被另一個人佔有的狀況。奴隸在法律上被視作財產或物件，並被剝奪自由人一般擁有的大部分權利。在各個大陸和幾乎整個有記載的歷史上都存在着奴隸制，尤其出現在能生產剩餘產品的市場經濟社會，在這種情況下，奴隸成為用於買賣的商品。希臘、羅馬、馬雅、印加和阿茲特克人過去都是奴隸制。美洲大陸的歐洲人16世紀開始從非洲販運奴隸（參閲slave trade）。到19世紀中期，美國的奴隸已達到四百多萬人，大部分在南方種植園工作，其身分受「奴隸法規」的限制。隨着廢奴主義的興起，1833年英國廢除了其殖民地的奴隸制，法國1848年也採取同樣的做法。在美國，「解放黑人奴隸宣言」（1863）標誌着奴隸制的正式廢除。今天世界上的任何國家都不承認奴隸制。亦請參閲Dred Scott decision、Fugitive Slave Acts、serfdom、Underground Railroad。
slavery
Condition in which one human being is owned by another. A slave was considered in law as property, or chattel, and was deprived of most rights ordinarily held by free persons. Slavery has existed on nearly every continent and throughout most of recorded history. It typically occurs in societies whose economy is of a market type capable of producing surpluses: in that context the slave becomes a commodity who is bought and sold for profit. The Greeks and Romans accepted the institution of slavery, as did the Maya, Inca, and Aztecs. Europeans in the New World began importing slaves from Africa in the 16th century (see slave trade). By the mid-19th century, the slave population in the U.S. had risen to more than 4 million. Most worked on plantations in the South, their status governed by slave codes. Following the rise of abolitionism, Britain abolished slavery in its colonies in 1833; France did the same in 1848. In the U.S. slavery was formally abolished by the Emancipation Proclamation (1863). Today slavery is not legally recognized by any government in the world. See also Dred Scott decision, Fugitive Slave Acts, serfdom, Underground Railroad.
