How did Romans view slavery during the republic?

Answer 1

Slavery was the natural way of having cheap labour.This spread exponentially amongst the aristocrats who chose slaves over free farmers to run their expanding estates. And slaves were an essential part of the upper class household. This had flow-on effects as the free farmers formed the backbone of the army, and their decreasing numbers forced the substitution of non-propertied men in the army ranks.

Slaves were used in all facets of production and life - from those used in the mines to those in businesses, and the privileged ones in upper class familes, some as tutors of the children, of whom became senior bureaucrats, and some even adopted as heirs in place of wayward, irresponsible children.