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Slavery Ida B. Wells and her parents were born into slavery, the forced servitude of people who are considered property of another person and must submit to the will of their "master". Though Ida did not live as a slave for long, her roots in slavery and the injustices that her ancestors faced shaped the society in which she lived and her determination to make a difference.

Slavery The history of slavery goes back to ancient times and continues to this very day in some nations. The slave trade in the Americas began when these lands were first discovered and slaves from Africa were brought to colonies for labor. Throughout the 18th and 19th century, Africans were shipped to the Americas and its islands, and sold as if they were objects to people in need of labor.

SlaveAbolishing slavery did not come as an easy task. Most abolitionists broke laws to try to fulfill their goal but it wasn't until the end of the Civil War that slaves were freed in America, even though the slave trade ended in 1808. There were many people formally against slavery in the United States such as the Quakers and members of the Methodist Episcopal Church joined forces. They viewed slavery as indecent and morally wrong.

SlaveSlavery was a source of economic stability for the South. Without slaves, the vast amount of cotton produced would be unable to be picked and prepared for exportation. The town in which Ida Wells was born and grew up, Holly Springs, Mississippi, was abundant in the growth of cotton and the use of slaves before emancipation.

SlaveSlaves were viewed as inferior members of society and at points were not even treated as if they were full people. They endured many injustices throughout the years and were forced to remain in the same position in society as they had been for many years. Couples were not allowed to be legally married and any children that were born to slaves, such as Ida, were automatically considered slaves and belonged to the master. Many times children were separated from their parents and sold to another master, as was Lizzie Wareenton, Ida's mother.

SlaveSlaves were abused, and more often then not, separated from their family. In spite of all this, the population of slaves in America grew and grew which made it necessary to impose harsher restrictions on slaves throughout America. These restrictions and the South's dependence on slaves made it difficult for the South to emerge from Reconstruction, gloriously.

SlaveThe life of a slave was hard and quite unfulfilling. They lived on meager amounts of food, which was distributed to them each month. The usual amount was one bushel of corn meal, and a few pounds of fish and meat. Small amounts of land were also given to them in order to grow vegetables for themselves. No protection was offered to slaves against their masters. This made it possible for slaves to be punished severely. Many times this lack of protection made punishment for slaves extremely severe. Often times, punishment was used to bully slaves in order for them to be more productive.

SlaveMasters didn't want their slaves to be Christian because they might interpret the teachings of the Bible to say that they should be free. This was another reason why the prevented them from learning to read. African religious traditions were banned on plantations. It was considered a crime to teach slaves to learn to read and write, so that they would have to remain dependent on the cruel hands of their owners.