Slavery In The Colonial South

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Slavery existed in the English colonies of mainland North America soon after they were established. In fact, the first African slaves in the colonies arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619, twelve years after the settlement was founded and a year before the Mayflower arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts. But it did not take root in the first few decades, with just over a thousand Africans in the colonies by 1650. Between then and 1720, though, slavery underwent a period of rapid growth and soon became a critical part in the economies of the southern colonies. The growth of slavery in the colonial South was brought about by geographic, economic, and social factors. The geography of the southern colonies played an important role in establishing …show more content…

When planters first began searching for a suitable labor force to grow their crops, they were faced with expensive colonial labor that was in short supply. Many turned to indentured servitude, hiring contract workers from England who worked in exchange for food, clothing, shelter, and free passage to America. These indentured servants were cheap, available, and sufficient to meet the planters’ labor needs, resulting in a reluctance to switch to slavery. This changed, however, after 1660 when fewer people were willing to become indentured servants due to the improving English economy. Around the same time, African slaves became more available when the Royal African Company began to ship them directly to mainland buyers in 1674. Slavery also had several advantages over indentured servitude that made them a better long-term investment. Slaves were enslaved for life, guaranteeing planters a stable labor force and protecting them from having to someday compete with their own workers. Even better, slaves were a self-reproducing labor force since slave status was passed on from mothers to their children. Due to the increasing availability of slaves and the clear benefit of slavery, many planters switched to slavery in the 1680s and 1690s. This new demand for slaves from southern planters led to more merchants entering the slave trade, which increased the supply of slaves and further accelerated the growth of slavery in the southern

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