History & Social Studies

Why did America turn to slavery?

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There are numerous theories about exactly why the colonies brought slaves into the new world, but the answer is pretty simple. First, America was not the first of Britain's colonies to form a reliance on slave trade. The British already used slaves in other territories. Second, people living in the colonies found slaves to be a cheaper and more plentiful source of labor than the indentured servants they'd been using.... in addition to the fact, the slaves couldn't leave after seven years of service.

In 1619, long before America established its independence, the Dutch brought the first African slaves on shore in colonial America. From then on, it became a kind of epidemic. Over time, more than six million slaves would be imported into the new world.