Slavery and the State

The large trade fleet of the I.ð.U (Idsðebvai ðino Utowa) is a frequent sight across the Warm Sea, moving cargo like wool, textile, weapons and even slaves. The slave trade itself isn’t anything abnormal for the region, with the flow of people being an extremely common and profitable trade. However, many outsiders struggle to understand how the ideals of universal freedoms of the small republic could co-exist with a system of slavery, and the simple answer is that it doesn’t. Obviously this is an oversimplification and so lets look into it a bit further.

The slave trade is not a new thing on these islands, with the rebellions of the Week of Fire being fought by farmers, mill workers and many slaves, all of who threw off the chains of the old Monarchy and became equals among men, with the earliest laws of the Republic being emancipation of slaves and orders that any slave who so much as step foot on the island would be freed. Many of these early laws did, for a long time, complicate the matter of the trade that fueled the economic growth of the post revolution Republic as the I.ð.U was banned from carrying slaves, with republican ships being considered extensions of the island.

It would take many years of slight changes to these old laws to be re-worked to facilitate the movement of people to be sold elsewhere. Nearly all of these reforms would only begin to take form after the first generation of revolutionaries to die so that they wouldn’t use their great cultural sway to block these actions and by the year 73. The first of the laws to try and work around the previous complete bans would simply be changing the ceremony in which ships where launched, instead of them being proclaimed “Opfja kuds Chefuchu” (to be of the Republic) it was changed to “Opfja baxðe Idschefuchu” (to be from the Republic). This slight change in the wording had the effect that ships would no longer legally be classed as extensions of the island and so slaves would remain slaves upon boarding them.

Generally, the idea of re-legalising slavery on the island was a repulsive idea to the people there, with it being seen as an evil practice carried out by wicked people. This would suggest a second roadblock in the history of the slave trade carried out by the I.ð.U, that being captains and crews refusing to carry their human cargo due to personal beliefs. This was a non-factor however, with many crews seeing the movement of slaves as a necessary evil in order to do their part in financing their island. The opening up of a slave trade was initially kept a secret from the public, being a state secret that was never to be shared upon pain of exile. When the news ultimately broke there were riots in the streets, with the current government being thrown out and trailed as traitors to the Republic. However, once it was found out and explained that the money gained from the trade had boosted the island into a new world of riches, being able to import more weapons and raw goods to fuel the economy many would-be revolutionaries returned home, begrudgingly at first but most would soon make their peace with it.

The most recent laws regarding the trade where attempted by Poni Mucha in 236, the second to last Fikifucha (President) to come from the Uðadzo attempted to allow slaves to remain property whilst inside the areas of the island where foreigners where permitted. This was again met with outrage, with the idea that slavery would return to the island becoming a rallying cry for the revolt that forced the party out of office and new elections being held after 6 months. This revolt went down as the “Revolt of the Slaves”, it being seen by the public as a fight for the liberation of the emancipated.

Overall the relationship between this fine Republic and the slave trade is a delicate one, with many people fine to continue participating within its framework but not willing to allow the evil trade to re-entre popular society. A handful of politicians remain to advocate for the complete ban of the trade, calling for a return to the how the republic was under its earliest rulers, who would abhor the fact their state took part in the trade at all. An even smaller amount of people calls for the trade to be abolished, rallying around the pirate known as Otevi Sevar, and go so far as to call for a war against all slavers, but these voices are seen as nothing but a minority of crazies not to be taken seriously.