Why+did+slavery+get+to+be+such+an+important+institution+in+colonial+America,+and+how+did+it+divide+the+North+and+South+in+colonial+America?+EM

Slavery was a key concept in how the colonies were shaped and formed. In the North, it wasn't essential like it was it was in everyday southern life. In colonial America, slavery was a very important institution, but it drove a wedge in between the northern and southern colonies, driving them farther and farther apart. But how did slavery get to be such a big part of the colonists every day life? Slavery was a way for many planters to expand their plantations and expand the difference between the social classes. In other words, slavery was a way to hit it big and get rich. The more slaves a planter owned, the more crops he could plant, the more money he could bring in. Under the head right system, planters and aristocrats were given 50 acres of land if the could sponsor and indentured servant's passage to the new world. But as time went on, indentured servants were not good enough. They were not permanent and still had the rights of Englishmen. When Nathaniel Bacon lead a revolt in 1676, many if not all of plantation owners realized a serious problem in keeping indentured servants as the field workers. Slavery had already been introduced to the Americas but there was not a need for it until now. There were many benefits to using Africans as slaves over the indigenous peoples already living in America, like the Iroquois and other Indian groups. For example, Africans had been in contact with the European white men before in African and had developed and immunity to their diseases. Another benefit was that the build of Africans was strong and sturdy, and they could handle the work load. The slaves brought over their skills of working with rice and helped it become a major crop. Last but not least, the African slave held under laws that would entitle the owner to keep the slave for life and his or hers children and their children. The owner could make money selling crops and slaves. Slaves were a necessity in the south, but in the north slaves were unneeded and expensive. They were just a burden and no profit could be made by owning them. This difference caused more separation between the colonists. The north's economy consisted of merchants, small sc ale farming, and fishing. .... NOT DONE!! =]