Throughout the 1600’s, there was a desperate need for a work force in the British North American colonies. Native Americans were dying from European diseases and were even running away to escape slavery. Also, the amount of indentured servants coming to America was decreasing and they became unreliable. This eventually led the colonists to bringing the first slaves to Virginia in 1619 because they realized another source was needed. Soon enough, slavery had a major impact on the social attitudes, racial ideologies, economic factors, and legislative acts because it changed the lives of people in society including slaves as well.
Colonists who came to the Americas were usually a group made up of middle and low middle classes. Thus, the settlers that came actually had to work by themselves in order to survive. However, many people in this group were aristocratic sons who were not the first born, and they had no experience with basic survival techniques. Indentured servants were people who couldn’t afford a trip to the New World, so people paid for their voyage and in return the servants had to work for them for about 7 years. After their time was up, the servants were free and usually given some clothes, crops, and sometimes even land to get them started on their new life. For some time, indentured servitude was a good source of labor because they were reliable, cheap, and better than weak natives who died from disease. Additionally, due to the headright system; men who brought over servants were granted 50 acres of land. This further increased the demand for indentured servants and benefitted the landowners greatly. However, this proved detrimental to the indentured servitude system. Due to the massive amounts of land being given away under the headright system, when servants were freed it became harder and harder to find land. The lack of land forced them to move West which made them more vulnerable to native attacks and they became distant from the communities within the colonies. Since these servants were white, many had access to an education and knew that to have their voices heard, they need to stand up for themselves. Thus, both freedmen and servants became increasingly more difficult and hostile which made the masters want an alternative. Additionally, wages were increasing in England at the time, which meant less people wanted to take the risk of coming to the New World. The last straw for indentured servitude was Bacon’s rebellion in 1676. Many freedmen and indentured servants were fed up with the lack of land so they revolted against landowners. This marked the unofficial end to indentured servitude being the main labor source in America and started a new era for decades to come. American slavery began with a few …show more content…
It was almost natural for Americans to join the African slave trade after indentured servitude faded away, since most of the world participated in it as well. At first, slavery with Africans was popular for economic reasons but the racial oppression became rooted in American culture. Slavery continued on for centuries after it was established and was eventually ended by one of the bloodiest wars in American history. Despite the tragedy, slavery was the foundation of America and was the primary labor source for the building of the
Colonists who came to the Americas were usually a group made up of middle and low middle classes. Thus, the settlers that came actually had to work by themselves in order to survive. However, many people in this group were aristocratic sons who were not the first born, and they had no experience with basic survival techniques. Indentured servants were people who couldn’t afford a trip to the New World, so people paid for their voyage and in return the servants had to work for them for about 7 years. After their time was up, the servants were free and usually given some clothes, crops, and sometimes even land to get them started on their new life. For some time, indentured servitude was a good source of labor because they were reliable, cheap, and better than weak natives who died from disease. Additionally, due to the headright system; men who brought over servants were granted 50 acres of land. This further increased the demand for indentured servants and benefitted the landowners greatly. However, this proved detrimental to the indentured servitude system. Due to the massive amounts of land being given away under the headright system, when servants were freed it became harder and harder to find land. The lack of land forced them to move West which made them more vulnerable to native attacks and they became distant from the communities within the colonies. Since these servants were white, many had access to an education and knew that to have their voices heard, they need to stand up for themselves. Thus, both freedmen and servants became increasingly more difficult and hostile which made the masters want an alternative. Additionally, wages were increasing in England at the time, which meant less people wanted to take the risk of coming to the New World. The last straw for indentured servitude was Bacon’s rebellion in 1676. Many freedmen and indentured servants were fed up with the lack of land so they revolted against landowners. This marked the unofficial end to indentured servitude being the main labor source in America and started a new era for decades to come. American slavery began with a few …show more content…
It was almost natural for Americans to join the African slave trade after indentured servitude faded away, since most of the world participated in it as well. At first, slavery with Africans was popular for economic reasons but the racial oppression became rooted in American culture. Slavery continued on for centuries after it was established and was eventually ended by one of the bloodiest wars in American history. Despite the tragedy, slavery was the foundation of America and was the primary labor source for the building of the