2007 marks the bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act of 1807, While it was a landmark act, it did not bring an end to the institution of slavery which continued to flourish in the Americas for another half-century. This article gives an overview of historical slavery, from the slavery of ancient societies to the commerce in enslaved Africans that contributed to European prosperity from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. It examines the role of Ireland and the Irish in this trade and looks at the development of the abolitionist movement. The persistence of slavery as part of today's globalised economy is discussed and some suggestions are made to facilitate the exploration of this topic with students.