How Did American Slavery Begin
Slavery is a very important subject in the history of America. Maybe be it is important to know how it began. Was it spontaneous or it just evolved through a process? Well, it all started at a time when African Slaves first landed in North American colony of Jamestown in 1619. These slaves in Virginia assisted with the production of highly lucrative crops o the time such like tobacco. Therefore, it was purely an agricultural affair that would later prompt the existence of one of the historical injustices done especially to the African immigrants. The issue took course during the 17th and 18th century American colonies. Therefore, slavery started in American at a time when the foundations of the new country were being built economically.
At a time when America was gearing up for an economic change, there was no enough labor to pump into the economy. This saw the immigration of Africans who would work in the cotton and tobacco farms. The practice was further solidified with the invention of the cotton gin in the year 1973. Some times in the 19th century, the westward expansion of America together with the increasing abolition movement that existed in the North provoked huge debates over the subject of slavery and was almost tearing the American nation apart in the Civil War that was experienced between 1861 and 1865. The Union victory was able to free four million slaves in America. All the same, the slavery legacy continued to eat into the fabric that held the young nation together. Slavery impacted a lot in the history of America all through the reconstruction period of 1865 to 1877 until the time of civil rights movement experienced in the 1960s.
Basically, the foundations that caused slavery in America came up in the start of the 17th century when European settlers especially in North America were looking for cheap labor in large quantities. The African slaves offered more affordable labor than the indentured servants who mainly comprised of the poor and vulnerable Europeans. Therefore, this need sparked a lot of infiltration of Africans into the farms where they would work without or very little pay. It is something that started out slowly only to end up being a huge burden both to the slaves and the slave masters. The slaves were mainly the black people who worked on large tobacco, rice and cotton plantations. Sooner than later, slavery took its toll and plunged American into a vice whose effects are still being felt to date.
