"The Tribute of Children"

Published in The World's Story:
A History of the World in Story, Song, and Art, 1914-18

Edited by Eva March Tappan

While serfdom (an institution in Europe during the Middle Ages bounding people as servants to lords) became prominent in Europe, traditional slavery remained a significant force in the Middle East. Because of its position between Europe, Africa, and Asia, the region was an important trading center. Local Arab merchants maintained a thriving business in captured Africans and other slaves.

Arab or Middle Eastern slave traders were not concerned with the same issues that eventually brought an end to slavery in America. Whereas many Americans recognized that the practice of slavery was opposed to the principles of freedom and equality spelled out in the U.S. Constitution, slavery did not necessarily go against the principles of the...