How did citizens avoid slavery in the roman empire?

It's not impossible that a reformist Roman emperor might have abolished slavery (as other emperors in various times and places did) but while the name ... they were) the ultimate arbiters of power: a loyal corp of legions mattered far more than the law, the imprimatur of the Senate, or the will of the people. read more

Roman citizens couldn't be slaves because they had a lot of rights, from a senator to a merchant, from a rich man to a poor man. Slaves belonged to a different social class without rights, in a certain way as today we can see in India. read more

The government would also take people into slavery if they could not pay their taxes. There were also many cases of poor people selling their children as slaves to richer neighbours. With the growth in the empire, the number of slaves in Rome grew rapidly. read more

Throughout the Roman period many slaves for the Roman market were acquired through warfare. Many captives were either brought back as war booty or sold to traders, and ancient sources cite anywhere from hundreds to tens of thousands of such slaves captured in each war. read more