1829 dated Slavery Document - Estate Will of Ephraim Jackson - Americana

2 sided handwritten will of Ephraim Jackson which mentions 3 slaves; Stephen, Milly and Martha. Also mentions negro girl named Kitty. Document stained.

Slavery is the practice of holding human beings as property, denying them personal liberty and the right to their own labor. This institution has existed across many cultures and time periods, with its presence recorded as far back as ancient civilizations like Mesopotamia and Egypt. While forms of servitude have varied, chattel slavery, where people were treated as movable property, became central to the economic and social structures of many societies, especially with the rise of the trans-Atlantic slave trade from the 15th century onward. This trade commercialized and racialized slavery, seeing millions of people from Africa forcibly transported to the Americas under horrific conditions to provide cheap labor for the plantations and industries of European colonial powers. 

The legacy of historical slavery continues to resonate globally through systemic inequality, economic disparities, and intergenerational trauma. Despite the formal abolition of legal slavery worldwide by the 20th century, modern slavery persists today in various forms, including forced labor, human trafficking, and bonded labor. Vulnerable populations, such as women, children, and migrants, are disproportionately affected by these illicit systems. Efforts to combat modern slavery involve addressing its root causes, such as poverty, conflict, and weak governance, while also confronting the lingering effects of historical injustices.