The Role Of Slavery In George Orwell's Animal Farm

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Slavery has been around for decades in English history, first beginning in 1562 spreading drastically throughout the colonies. African slaves helped build the new nation into an economic powerhouse through the production of very profitable crops such as tobacco and cotton. Although slavery mostly deals with the discrimination of African Americans, there is also an aspect of slavery that includes the mistreatment of animals. This period in history included a vast majority of animals that were bought, or stolen, by plantation owners to assist them in doing the dirty work on the fields. Animals who were enslaved did not get water to hydrate nor did they get food to eat. When working twelve to fourteen hours a day in scorching hot weather, animals need food and drink to survive, but the slave owners thought otherwise. Slave owners thought that the job, the reason animals were brought to this world, was to work all day. Slavery of animals is depicted in many books from history, but one of the greatest and most famous novels is Animal Farm. In George Orwell’s 1945 novel Animal Farm, the various types of slavery portrayed are reflections of the types of slavery that existed in English society at that time.
Slavery existed in English society up until 1833 when The Abolition of Slavery Act was passed. Slaves entire bodies, souls, and minds belonged to their masters. Many people made a life commitment in the attempt to abolish slavery early on, but it took time for it to end. The