Slavery origins
Definition
Slavery origins in America trace back to 1619 when the first enslaved Africans arrived in the Virginia colony. The institution grew alongside colonial economies, particularly in the South, where tobacco, rice, and later cotton plantations depended on forced labor. Slavery became racially codified through colonial slave codes.
Examples
- The Virginia colony enacted slave codes in the 1660s that made slavery hereditary and race-based
- The transatlantic slave trade forcibly transported an estimated 12.5 million Africans to the Americas
- The cotton gin's invention in 1793 dramatically increased demand for enslaved labor in the Deep South
Key Fact
The first recorded Africans arrived at Jamestown, Virginia in 1619; slavery was not abolished until the 13th Amendment in 1865.
Study This Concept
Practice slavery origins with free review games in these units: