The Reasons For Slavery

Slavery in Colonial America was a horrendous institution established in the seventeenth century. However, there are some debates over why slavery was founded in the colonies.

There are many reasons to why slavery developed in Colonial America, but the debate lies in racism. While some historians think that racism was a result of slavery, others believe that slavery began because of racial prejudice. Ultimately, racism was an important part of slavery, however slavery commenced because of economic and social reasons.

Many aspects of slavery must be determined to come to the root of why slavery began. Some historians, such as Carl Degler and Winthrop D. Jordan, argue that racism led to slavery. However some other historians, like Oscar and Mary Handlin, believe that racism developed from slavery. That is not entirely true. There has always been an underlying belief among Europeans that they were superior above all other races.

Europeans held themselves in higher regard than any other race for a long time. For instance, English settlers called Native Americans "savages". According to Jordan, Europeans had believed that other races, especially blacks, were not worthy enough to serve whites. This belief also came into the Americas, but this belief was not the main source of slavery. The need for labor in Colonial America was a more important reason for slavery.

In many of the colonies, indentured servants were to be set free at a set time. This lead to a large class of dependant white workers who were to be paid, and it also lead way to the need for a permanent labor work force. Slavery was the answer to both these problems. Not only did slavery let landowners pay for a cheap, permanent work force, it also left landowner's minds unobstructed to the fact that they were enslaving a human being because of race. However, according to Peter Wood, the most important thing was not race, it was the fact that many white workers refused to work in rice fields.

Slaves were in bondage and were force to work. Because whites refuse dot work in rice fields, it lead to an advantage in slavery. Slaves could be forced to do any work.

Moreover, slaves were much better at cultivating the rice fields than the whites. This lead to more economic growth because the landowners were able to produce more. This economic growth not only benefited the landowners themselves, it also benefited Colonial America as a whole.

Slavery was an important part of colonial life and was instituted because of economic and social reasons rather than racism. Racism was not a result of slavery because of the belief of inferiority prior to colonization. After colonization, a work force was needed and slavery supplied that work force. Racism justified the enslaving of Africans, however colonies to produce more goods by the slaves. Although racism played a role in slavery, economic and social reasons were more important.