Introduction
The Slave trade played an undeniable role in the long and grim American history of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil War. Although conversations about slave labor in the U.S. center on the South and Civil War, they extend back to the British colonies in Northern America. The slave labor system grew in the southern Rice plantations, Charles Town, South Carolina, and the northern wharves of Boston (Bradford, 1620). It was more than a labor system since it influenced every colonial thought and culture. The labor system led to racial discrimination and the planter class development. Slavery in the American colonies originated from the original British colonies leading to racial segregation and planter class in the U.S.
Growth of Slavery in the American Colonies
The British colonialists brought slavery and the European culture to the U.S. colonies. The system was started in Virginia in 1619 when the colonialists brought enslaved Africans with them (Corbett et al., 2014). The beginning of slavery in the American colonies marked the start of human trafficking between Africa and North America based on European social norms (Pursell, 2014). The slave labor system rapidly grew in the South American colonies because of the large plantations in the region. The New England colonies included Connecticut, Rhodes Islands, and Massachusetts Bay. In early 1619, the slave labor was cultured with indentured servitudes who were white Europeans working off debts (Mittleberger, n.d). However, the enslaved Africans quickly replaced the indentured servitudes in the Southern colonies. Therefore, the British colonialists brought slavery to North America and were extended it to the South because of the region’s large plantations.
Colonies More Reliant on Slave Labor than Others
Slavery in the U.S. began in the New England colonies but became on-demand in the Southern colonies. The New England colonies were less reliant on slavery since the enslaved people worked for households, businesses, or small farms (Grant, 2015). Consequently, it was common to have one or two enslaved people working for a colonialist who learned special skills and crafts (Wright, 2020). Meanwhile, the large plantations in Virginia, Maryland, among other Southern colonies, required a vast labor force (Corbett et al., 2014). As a result, the White enslaved people were quickly replaced by the enslaved Africans who could meet the labor force demand. Reliant on enslaved people in the Southern colonies led to discrimination against blacks in the region.
How Slavery Affected Development
The slave labor system economically and socially affected the American colonies. Slavery was a social institution that led to class and racial segregation, especially in South America. Unlike in the Southern colonies, the New England colonies were reluctant to accept enslaved Africans. Furthermore, the laws in New England colonies favored the enslaved people and gave them some rights like freedom after ten years of service (The Charter of Massachusetts Bay: 1629). Meanwhile, the enslaved in the Southern colonies were racially discriminated against, and the colonialists used their skin color to justify their dominion over the blacks (Acharya, 2022). The planter class, the filthy rich, was developed in the colonies. However, slavery was associated with racial and class discrimination, the southern colonies’ economic engine of the burgeoning U.S. The cash crops of tobacco, cotton, and sugar cane were significant economic drivers in the country (Josipović & Vujeva, 2021). Although the slave labor system led to the development of social vices like racism, it economically boosted the U.S.
Conclusion
The British colonialists brought slavery to the U.S. since it was practiced in Europe. The New England colonies were cultured with indentured servitudes who worked off debts. The increased demand for labor force in the Southern colonies led to the recruitment of enslaved Africans. Unlike the Southern colonies, the enslaved in the New England colonies had some rights. The slave labor system led to the development of social vices like classism and racism. Furthermore, the plantations that depended on enslaved people were economic drivers in the country. The slave labor system was detrimental to American social engineering but was economically significant.
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