How Did Economic, Geographic, and Social Factors Encourage the Growth of Slavery as an Important Part of the Southern Colonies Between 1607 and 1775?
Rosalee Farmer
Unit 2 FRQ
Period1
10/3/2011
The Triangular Trade, Indentured Servants, and Bacon’s Rebellion encouraged slavery to grow in the southern colonies. By 1775, indentured servants were becoming inconvenient and Bacon’s Rebellion worried the plantation owners. The triangular trade brought slaves to America and the owners with no workers quickly bought on to slavery. Economic, geographic, and social factors all played in to the increase of slavery between 1607 and 1775. The geography of America helped slavery grow through the triangular trade. The triangle trade was a trade between America, Africa, and the West Indies. Rum was sent to Africa from America, which was traded for slaves. The slaves were then shipped to the West Indies and traded for molasses and sugar. The molasses and sugar was then traded for rum which was sent back to Africa and so forth. Some slaves were not traded to the West Indies but traded in America. Through the triangular trade slaves were brought to America and slavery was started.
In 1607 the first indentured servants came to America. Indentured servants were people whose voyage to America was paid by someone else in America. The people who paid for the servants’ voyage through the Headright System got 50 acres of land. The person who they paid for then became their servant to pay off the debt. After the servant had paid off the debt the owner would give them a piece of their land for them to start anew. This didn’t work well for long. The owners did not want to give part of their land to someone who had just paid off their debt to them. So instead the servants would “squat” on a piece of land. This process lasted for a while but indentured servants only worked for a certain amount of time before they were free. Also once a servant was free, the owners had to reward them. The idea of slavery became more and more popular. It was very convenient; they could officially own them for life and they wouldn’t have to reward them.
Unit 2 FRQ
Period1
10/3/2011
The Triangular Trade, Indentured Servants, and Bacon’s Rebellion encouraged slavery to grow in the southern colonies. By 1775, indentured servants were becoming inconvenient and Bacon’s Rebellion worried the plantation owners. The triangular trade brought slaves to America and the owners with no workers quickly bought on to slavery. Economic, geographic, and social factors all played in to the increase of slavery between 1607 and 1775. The geography of America helped slavery grow through the triangular trade. The triangle trade was a trade between America, Africa, and the West Indies. Rum was sent to Africa from America, which was traded for slaves. The slaves were then shipped to the West Indies and traded for molasses and sugar. The molasses and sugar was then traded for rum which was sent back to Africa and so forth. Some slaves were not traded to the West Indies but traded in America. Through the triangular trade slaves were brought to America and slavery was started.
In 1607 the first indentured servants came to America. Indentured servants were people whose voyage to America was paid by someone else in America. The people who paid for the servants’ voyage through the Headright System got 50 acres of land. The person who they paid for then became their servant to pay off the debt. After the servant had paid off the debt the owner would give them a piece of their land for them to start anew. This didn’t work well for long. The owners did not want to give part of their land to someone who had just paid off their debt to them. So instead the servants would “squat” on a piece of land. This process lasted for a while but indentured servants only worked for a certain amount of time before they were free. Also once a servant was free, the owners had to reward them. The idea of slavery became more and more popular. It was very convenient; they could officially own them for life and they wouldn’t have to reward them.