Slavery In The 1600's

Slavery developed in the United States in the early 1600’s. Slavery came to exist due to an economic need for an increased labor force due to the popularity of cash crops in global trade. the price of indentured servants was becoming too costly and Demands for labor were increasing at a growing rate.as the demands for labor grew so did the price of indentured servants. The colonies were expanding which called for skilled workers in the colonies, a position that was to be filled by already present indentured servants. This created a problem, because if all indentured servants were to become skilled workers, who was to tend to the cash crops of the land. The cost of bringing more indentured servants to fill the void, as well as the freedom dues that had to be paid, became an exorbitant amount compared to the cost of African slaves, who were cheaper. The labor force needed to produce tobacco at a faster rate and the indentured servants present weren’t enough to meet demands. In order to meet the labor needs that were necessary to continue making revenue, African slaves were brought in to do the work of indentured servants. This was …show more content…
African slave laws had not been made yet and Africans were not subject to common law, they were merely workers without rights. Most colonies did in fact enlist slave’s codes after the 1660’s. These codes limited blacks from things like interracial marriages, attaining property, bearing arms, or traveling without permission. Slaves that were granted freedom didn’t necessarily lead an easy life. Being free meant ironically that you were going to be poor, and could be worse off than someone who in fact was enslaved. This is because freedom was rather limited for African Americans. Slave laws were used to DE integrate Africans and encouraged European