Depends.
Some historic slavery, like in the Mideast, was due to lack of prisons for thieves and POWs.
Slavery is worst when over high profits, and that did not happen much until after the invention of the cotton Gin in the US, made the US cotton trade highly profitable. Until then, slaves were not in high quantity, so were almost like family members.
After the cotton Gin, slavery went high volume and much more abusive and impersonal.
Patented in 1793 by Eli Whitney, the cotton gin had a large impact on the southern economy and greatly affected the institution of slavery.
historyincharts.com
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The cotton gin played a major role in this, making cotton an extremely profitable crop that could be exported to the northern states as well as foreign European markets. The profitability of cotton would lead to the nickname “King Cotton” and it was known as “white gold”.
Eventually the issue of slavery would be a major factor that ultimately led to the Civil War. The role of the cotton gin and its resulting impacts led to marked changes in the southern economy, political realm and the institution of slavery.
The states’ belief in “King Cotton” was such that they did not believe they needed the Union for survival. It would ultimately prove to be their downfall.
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