Slavery – then and now

In 1775, there was not a single country on this planet that had abolished slavery by law — not one. That included every one of the United States.

The very first nation in the world to prohibit slavery was Vermont, in 1777 (when it declared its independence from Britain and established a republic). So when it was admitted to the Union (like Texas and California later did) in 1791, it became the first of the United States to outlaw the institution.

By 1900, Britain, France, the entire United States, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal had all outlawed it. Every single abolition took place in societies under British or European control or heavy European pressure. Note that all these British, American, and European nations were “christian” societies. Either Catholic or Protestant, or (in the case of five of the United States) “freedom of denomination).

With a very few exceptions, like Wyoming and Utah (even before they were admitted to the Union), none of these nations which had ended slavery, had recognized the right of women to vote and hold office. (In fact, the United Kingdom did not allow women to vote until 1928, and the Republic of France did not until – get this – 1944!)

In a perfect Orwellian twist, is it not ironic that white men are the heroes of the slavery story? Not only white men, but white men who were believers in Christ. On the other hand, despite Italy trying to outlaw slavery and free a half-million slaves in Ethiopia when it conquered that nation in 1936, slavery was not actually abolished until 1943 when Britain “liberated” the country and restored Haile Selassie to the imperial throne. And in Saudi Arabia, slavery was legal until 1962.

It is also interesting to note that Iran (Persia) did not end slavery until 1929, under the Pahlavi dynasty.

Of course, many people argue, with some strong evidence, that slavery is still endemic in many parts of the world. It can be claimed with some accuracy that slavery in Russia and the other “republics” of the Soviet Union did not end until the collapse of the USSR in 1991. (And many claim that the many of the former 15 “republics” (including Russia itself) still practice slavery.) In a similar way, China does employ what is often characterized as “slave labor.” Ditto for the Democratic Republic of [North] Korea, and even Cambodia, Vietnam, and Cuba. And there are well-documented conditions of slavery found in many African countries, including Nigeria, Niger, Sudan, and South Sudan.

Of course, the Dritte Reich in Germany practiced a form of slavery from 1933 to 1945, which probably continued for decades more in the Ostzone (Democratic Republic of [East] Germany).

We understand the difference between chattel slavery, especially when largely organized on race or religion, and slavery as a form of punishment for political or even malum in se crimes. And we recognize (here at TPOL) that taxation – especially of income – is nothing but a form of slavery. But when it comes to the institution of racial-based, chattel slavery, it is at least illegal across the entire planet, in 2026.

Yes, it is still practiced, clandestinely, around the world. Yes, even in the States, it is discovered a few times a year. Someone, not just children or young women, is found to have been in “involuntary servitude.” It is something that various Regressives seek to downplay and discredit: it is currently politically incorrect even to refer to someone (historically or at present) as a “slave” (though apparently it is okay to use the phrase “enslaved person” in politically-correct company).

That is in essence 250 years, a quarter of a millennium, to destroy an institution that apparently existed since not long after the Flood, around 4400 years ago. And an institution deeply embedded in virtually all human societies and considered to be a fundamental requirement for civilization.

It is not too much of a supposition to state that without Western (European-originated) civilization and the christian religion (however corrupted), that there would still be legal slavery in most or all of the world.

Nor is it much of a stretch to argue that a planet (and solar system) dominated by Islam, Communism and other forms of socialism and regressive authoritarianism, or the Woke humanism growing in the Western world would have institutional slavery. Oh, probably not by that name, but far beyond the 80%+ progressive rates of modern tax slavery.

Unless we fight it, unless we are aware of the propensity to make other people into slaves: to steal away their liberties, and the benefits of their labor. To control them and refuse to treat them without aggression; to fail to recognize the laborer is worthy of his hire.

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Source: https://freedombunker.com/2026/08/13/slavery-then-and-now/