Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The condition in which one person is owned as property by another and is under the owner's control, especially in involuntary servitude.
- noun The practice of owning slaves.
- noun A mode of production in which slaves constitute the principal work force.
- noun The condition of being subject or addicted to a specified influence.
- noun A condition of hard work and subjection.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Slabbery; wet with slaver.
- noun A state of servitude; the condition of a slave; bondage; entire subjection to the will and commands of another; the obligation to labor for a master without the consent of the servant; the establishment of a right in law which makes one person absolute master of the body and the service of another.
- noun The keeping or holding of slaves; the practice of keeping human beings in a state of servitude or bondage.
- noun Servitude; the continuous and exhausting labor of a slave; drudgery.
- noun The act of enslaving.
- noun Synonyms Bondage, etc. See
servitude . - noun 1 and
- noun Vassalage, thraldom, serfdom, peonage.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The condition of a slave; the state of entire subjection of one person to the will of another.
- noun A condition of subjection or submission characterized by lack of freedom of action or of will.
- noun The holding of slaves.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun An
institution orsocial practice ofowning human beings asproperty , especially for use asforced laborers . - noun A condition of
servitude endured by aslave . - noun figuratively A condition in which one is
captivated orsubjugated , as by greed or drugs.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the practice of owning slaves
- noun work done under harsh conditions for little or no pay
- noun the state of being under the control of another person
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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What is sometimes not appreciated is the distinction that was drawn by governments between slavery and actual slave trading: for example, Britain prohibited the _trade_ as early as 1807, but did not abolish _slavery_ within the Empire until 1833; the United States prohibited the trade in 1808, but continued to practise slavery in her slave states until the Civil War.
Flash For Freedom Fraser, George MacDonald, 1925- 1971
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What is sometimes not appreciated is the distinction that was drawn by governments between slavery and actual slave trading: for example, Britain prohibited the _trade_ as early as 1807, but did not abolish _slavery_ within the Empire until 1833; the United States prohibited the trade in 1808, but continued to practise slavery in her slave states until the Civil War.
Flash For Freedom Fraser, George MacDonald, 1925- 1971
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The leading object of the second section was the readjustment of the representation of the States in Congress, rendered necessary by the abolition of chattel slavery [_not of political slavery_], effected by the thirteenth amendment.
An Account of the Proceedings on the Trial of Susan B. Anthony, on the Charge of Illegal Voting Anonymous
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That the abolition of slavery is within the sphere of legislation, I argue, _secondly_, from the fact, that _slavery as a legal system, is the creature of legislation_.
The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Omnibus American Anti-Slavery Society
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That the abolition of slavery is within the sphere of legislation, I argue, _secondly_, from the fact, that _slavery as a legal system, is the creature of legislation_.
The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Part 1 of 4 American Anti-Slavery Society
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Again: the institution of slavery is only mentioned in the Constitution of the United States two or three times, and in neither of these cases does the word slavery or negro race occur; but covert language is used each time, and for a purpose full of significance.
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As a proof of this, I need not do more than state the general fact, that slavery has existed under the droppings of the sanctuary of the south for the last two hundred years, and there has not been any war between the _religion_ and the _slavery_ of the south.
My Bondage and My Freedom Frederick Douglass 1856
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Texas remains an independent province, or is restored to its legitimate owners, and in either case slavery is abolished, she then becomes, from the very circumstance of her fertility and aptitude for white labour, not only the great _check to slavery_, but eventually the means of its
Diary in America, Series One Frederick Marryat 1820
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Over the can of grog, the English tar forgets all his hardships and his slavery -- yes, _slavery_; for where is there a greater slavery among white men, than that of impressed
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_slavery_; yes! of American slavery in the bosom of a Catholic Republic, where that system of robbery, violence, and wrong, had been legally abolished for twelve years.
The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Part 1 of 4 American Anti-Slavery Society
bilby commented on the word slavery
"Despite drooling too much during his public orations, he said he was determined to put an end to slavery."
April 25, 2009