mg - You're quite right. Slavery was practiced by a good many North and South American Indian nations. It reached a very well organized level in the big city-building states of Central and South America and was practiced on a much smaller and more informal scale amongst various tribes in what is now the USA or Canada. Slaves were generally people from other tribes who had been taken prisoner in raids. They were made to do a lot of hard work for the tribe that had captured them for the remainder of their lives, and had a considerably lower status in the community...although, a slave that was clever and gifted enough could sometimes work his way up the status chain a fair bit.

Slavery was also very common all over the world long before the British Empire engaged in it. ;-) In fact, the Roman and Greek societies and many others could not have maintained their economic systems without vast numbers of slaves. Again, slaves who were clever and gifted enough could sometimes rise quite high...but they were still slaves unless their master decided to free them. (and that could happen)

It's silly to blame slavery all on the British...but they should indeed be credited for abolishing it throughout their empire in 1834. In that respect, they showed considerably higher social ideals and more progressive thought than many other nations of the time, the USA included. It was seen as a moral issue in Great Britain, and the progressives won out...by peaceful persuasion.

*****

Olddude - Yes! Canadian dachshunds do often add a small interrogative note to the end of a bark, and it can be compared to "...,eh?" They do this when they are not quite sure who or what they are barking at...or they're not quite sure what might happen next. A dachshund always has in mind that a quick strategic withdrawal might be necessary, even when he's hurling dire threats or challenges with what appears to be great confidence. He may be arrogant, but he ain't stupid! ;-D