Why do the blacks were more enslaved than any other race?

Answer 1

Looking at the large historical picture, this was not true. In fact, taking slavery as a percentage of the total population into account, there have been more white slaves than black throughout history. The first 'slaves' taken to work plantations in the American colonies, for example, were in fact white. They were called indentured servants, normally seized when they couldn't pay their debts, but they were slaves none the less. Millions of white slaves were also taken by Islamic countries who raided deep into Russia and Eastern Europe, as well as along the Mediterranean coasts. We won't even mention the slaves taken by ancient empires from Rome and earlier. The fact that black slaves became common from the 18th century onwards is largely due to anti-slavery laws passed in Europe protecting Europeans from being enslaved. These laws were enforced by the military, economic and political strength of the western European countries promulgating them. However, for around 150 years, these laws were not extended to protect other parts of the world, including Africa. As the slave trade in Africa was already a massive industry, and had been for thousands of years, white transatlantic slavers cashed in on this by buying slaves from African slave traders. (They seldom captured slaves themselves, though). By the time the USA had ended all slavery, after the civil war, western powers enforced the anti-slavery drive, actually attacking ships suspected of transporting slaves.

With reference to South Africa, most slaves in pre 1800s Cape Colony were not black but of Asian origin, as it was considered dangerous to keep black slaves who might be sympathetic to frontier tribes (not to mention very easy for them to escape back to their tribes). The descendents of these slaves gradually intermingled with whites and blacks to form the South African group known today as 'coloureds'.