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Slaves In America, And How Did Slavery Start In North America

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How did slavery start in the Americas? As the colonies were developing in North America during the 17th and 18th centuries, the growth of tobacco and other lucrative crops started to be rapid throughout the years. The colonies lacked labor, and that issue prevented the growth of the production; therefore, in order to get more labor without spending high prices, the colonies turned to slave trade to help with the production of crops. The British colony in Jamestown, Virginia received the first shipment of 20 African slaves coming from Europe in 1619 (History.com), which was the beginning of slave spread in the North american colonies. This is important because slavery in the North American colonies helped build the foundation of the American economy. And since the first shipment of slaves, the slave trade became a big part in the early American economy. Slavery in the North American colonies were considered the center of the economic process. According to the text book “Give Me Liberty!”, the text states that “By 1700, blacks constituted more than 10 percent of Virginia's population. Fifty years later they made up nearly half ” (page 85). This quote explains the growth of slavery in the North American colony and it also shows the importance of the African slavery to the economy at that time. Population wise, slaves were only counted as ⅗ of a person. Some of the slaves managed to be free after serving several years in slavery, laws started to emerge to limit the freedom

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