In Ancient Greece and Rome, slaves were criminals, captured wartime enemies, the conquered peoples of some foreign war. They could be rich or poor, base- or noble-born, of any nationality, ethnicity or social class. Although many were assigned the most difficult, menial or dangerous tasks, highly capable, educated or talented slaves were often given responsible positions requiring technical expertise, literacy or skill in management and administration.

In America, they have to belong to an inferior race or creed. It satisfies our Christian sensibilities by guaranteeing only the sub-human are fully exploited.