The imprisonment of fellow men as slaves is a practice that has continued all through history in varying degrees. In some areas slaves are treated as a member of the family respected for what they do and eventually earn their freedom, in other areas they are worked to death, beaten daily, and barely live to work for more than a year. Two of the most prominent places involved in the international slave trade were the Muslim states and the Americas. These places were very different but still had their similarities. In the Muslim world slaves were treated well and had reason to be proud of their masters. (doc. 8) In the Americas it was a different story many slaves died of unnatural causes usually because they were over worked and malnourished. This was much the same all throughout the Americas. (doc.'s 3,6,9) There are several good sources of documentation on this topic including: a slave, a doctor, and a voyager. .
In the Muslim world slavery was a dignified thing to do, it was practiced everywhere in wasn't odd for the smallest town's to have business in the slave trade. In the Muslim world a slave starts out as a savage but is elevated to be a "useful worker" and turns them in to men (doc. 8) they are well fed, clothed, and treated, enjoying life as a slave and being proud of their masters. The slave masters" care about the slaves as do the slave transporters, it is their duty to make sure the slaves have enough water and food to survive and be healthy. If they fail to do this then they are condemned by their God and by the Sultan. Letting another of gods creatures die in such an inhumane way is "categorically forbidden" (doc. 5) The one strange thing about the Middle East or Muslim States is the fact that they don't take Muslim slaves and if a slave is found to be Muslim he is to be instantly released. (doc. 2) .
In the Americas slaves were treated worse than dogs. They were beaten, whipped, killed, and malnourished.
