Why was slavery used in the United States?
1 Answer
cheap labor
Explanation:
First of all, each of the original colonies had slaves. In the case of Massachusetts, for example, historians like to discuss whether they were truly indentured servants rather than slave. That discussion comes about because almost without exception, at some point in their lives, Massachusetts slaves were given their freedom and declared "freemen," a very significant attribute. But the colonies above Virginia found very little use for slaves and most made slavery illegal shortly after the formation of the United States if they had not already done so.
The south was a different sort of economic society. Its agricultural base was that of very large farms and plantations which required a very large labor pool, more than the local community itself could supply. The 17th and 18th farm and plantation owners turned to slavery to resolve that issue.
In 1807 a law was passed by Congress prohibiting further importation of slaves without outlawing slavery itself.
