Slavery & Its Legacies Symposium

Slavery, as an institution, traces its origins back to Mesopotamia in 3500 B.C. Slavery was abolished by most nations sometime in the 19th century. Slavery’s effects, however, persisted in many nations for decades — and still persist in various forms today. The Slavery and Its Legacies Symposium examines this historical persistence of institutionalized slavery, both in the United States and in other nations.

Topics include how Reconstruction in the U.S. South affected representation and wealth; how American slavery undermined the New Deal; the long-term influence of slavery and its abolition on development, political attitudes and social capital in Brazil and Columbia; and the impact of slavery on literacy and health in Africa more than a century later.