Slavery has been a problem (unless you are pro-slavery) since the beginning of time. So why
should the American colonies be any different? Well they weren't. Slavery was introduced into the
new world in 1606, and it grew rapidly in the south until the time of the revolutionary war in 1775.
There were many reasons people would say that it grew but the biggest reasons can be put into three
categories, they are: social, economic, and geographical.
First off, a huge reason that slavery grew so quickly in the south was because it was socially
expectable. Slavery was often looked upon as a necessary evil. Some people felt it was wrong but
figured that the ends justified the means. However, possibly more people, felt that slavery was doing
the blacks a favor. They justified slavery by saying that they were better off in slavery then by
themselves. They were looked upon as second class citizens.
The idea was not what can we do for
them but what can they do for us? It was thought, that blacks were put on to the world to benefit the
whites. If those people in the south looked down on slaveholders than slavery would not have
become so great, but the problem was that people favored it.
Next there were the great economic benefits that slaves provided to there owners. During this
time period agricultural products were bringing in all the money. Cotton was one of the major prod
ucts of the south to, but the problem with cotton was that it took a lot of time and energy to produce
it. Solution: bring in black slaves or indentured servants to do the work for them. Indentured ser
vants cost money though, money that many large plantation owners decided they didn't need to spend.