International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

2 December

25th November 2011, 12:00am

The abolition of the transatlantic slave trade in the 19th century did not erase the practice globally. Battles are still being fought today against child slavery, human trafficking and forced marriages. Find out more on the United Nations website at http:bit.lyvOioRc

Famous slaves from history

Rebel of the roman empire: Spartacus (109-71 BC)

Spartacus served in the Roman army before he was sold into slavery. He formed a slave army which overran most of Italy until the legions defeated them and Spartacus fell in pitched battle. Try a resource by TLChelen on the fictional diary of a Roman slave girl.

Famous for Fables: Aesop (620-560 BC)

Born into slavery, little is known about how Aesop received his freedom. It is thought he did not commit his fables to writing, but that Socrates, having heard the stories, later turned them into verse. It is believed that Aesop died a violent death at the hands of the inhabitants of Delphi. Read more about fables in a resource from island651.

The Christian Saint: St Patrick (c387-493 AD)

Revered by Christians for establishing the church in Ireland - and, it is said, ridding it of snakes - details of his life are scant. But it is believed that he was born in Roman Britain, captured as a teen, and sold into slavery in Ireland. Learn more about St Patrick in a resource from mcraven.

The Russian General: Abram Petrovich Gannibal (1696-1781)

An African slave brought to Russia by Peter the Great, Gannibal became a major-general, military engineer and governor of Reval. Today he is best known as the great-grandfather of author Alexander Pushkin, whose unfinished novel, The Moor of Peter the Great, is about him. Try a quick introduction to slavery past and present from TES Web Staff.

The Barber of Natchez: William Johnson (1809-1851)

Johnson - who was freed as a boy slave and rose to be a successful businessman in the Mississippi city of Natchez - is the subject of a book by Edwin Adams Davis. But how free was he? A resource from QCDA helps pupils debate what it means to be free.

All links and resources can be found at www.tes.co.ukresources011 .