Roman slavery, in its entirety, was in a better state of execution than the American form of slavery. In Rome, slaves were not necessarily African born people that were brought to the country like the origins of American slavery were. The Roman slaves were more often prisoners of war, or simply children born into slave families. As in the American slavery system, Romans had an operational slave market in which slaves were bought and sold. Slaves that were bought were taken by their new owners to work on either a farm, the owner's business, or to be servants (I. A. Background).
Contrasting the harsh American slave system, the slaves holding positions in ancient Roman times were treated fairly well. There were distinct guidelines for slave owners to follow; these rules included how much clothing, food, and water was given to each category of slave. Categories were such as: servants, field laborers, and labor masters (slaves in charge of slaves). American slaves were treated much worse. Slaves lived in extremely poor conditions; sometimes housing five families in a one room shack or something along those lines. Slaves were underfed and under-dressed, suffering even more than being made to labor for their owners (I. A. How Good)
Sources:
I. A., Background: What is Slavery?
I. A., How Good Were Slaves Actually Treated?
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