Table of Contents
Why was slavery preferred over indentured servants?
Many landowners also felt threatened by newly freed servants demand for land. The colonial elite realized the problems of indentured servitude. Landowners turned to African slaves as a more profitable and ever-renewable source of labor and the shift from indentured servants to racial slavery had begun.
Why did plantation owners prefer West African slaves?
Answer: Explanation: Plantation owners in Virginia and Maryland preferred West African slaves because many more slaves were sent from this territory than from East Africa, a factor that was vital due to the high production of cotton and other products such as tobacco and sugar .
What do slaves and indentured servants have in common?
Indentured servants and slaves were treated in broadly similar ways. They were both brought to the New World in horrible conditions with many dying along the way. They were both subject to physical punishment from their masters. They both worked for no pay and with no control over their working lives.
Why did the slaves work on the plantations?
Tobacco and cotton proved to be exceptionally profitable. Because these crops required large areas of land, the plantations grew in size, and in turn, more slaves were required to work on the plantations.
When did African slaves first arrive in Virginia?
African slaves began arriving in Virginia in 1619. The term “plantation” arose as the southern settlements, originally linked with colonial expansion, came to revolve around the production of agriculture. Though wealthy aristocrats ruled the plantations, the laborers powered the system.
How did the plantation system come to be?
The term “plantation” arose as the southern settlements, originally linked with colonial expansion, came to revolve around the production of agriculture. Though wealthy aristocrats ruled the plantations, the laborers powered the system.
Why was slavery so important in the south?
Because the economy of the South depended on the cultivation of crops, the need for agricultural labor led to the establishment of slavery. It also created a society sharply divided along class lines. For this reason, the contrast between the rich and the poor was greater in the South than it was in the North.