Slavery In The Southern Colonies

In the Southern Colonies, slaves were widely used as a source of cheap labor for plantation owners that wanted cheap labor. Slaves were subjected to harsh conditions, working long work days in extreme heat in horrible working conditions. They were used to grow and harvest tobacco, sugar, and rice on plantations. Slaves were widely used in the South, in contrast to the North, who had slaves, but not nearly as many. Slaves were used in the South because there was an economic need, it was cheaper for plantation owners, and a geographic need, they were needed for the owners to keep their farm functioning.
In the South, slavery and the slave trade was very important to the fragile economy. Plantation owners did not want to have to pay workers because
they would lose profit, and indentured servants were becoming more scarce. They began to turn to slavery as a source of cheap labor. After the original purchase of the slave, the only expenses that you had for them was the cost of feeding them and making sure they will stay alive. Other than that, you never had to pay them. This was intriguing for plantation owners because their goal was to make as much money as possible. Another economic bonus was that if any of the slaves that one would own had a child, it would rightfully become the slave’s owner’s property. They could use the child as sale, to make money, or they could put the child to work on their plantation. Economically, slaves were the best choice for the plantation owners because they let them receive the most money.
Geography was also a major influence on the use of slaves in the South.
The main hub for the slave trade was located in Florida and the islands located just south of the Colonies. It was easy for them to get slaves because they were so close to the location of the biggest part of the slave trade. Another geographic factor was the fact that the South’s location gave it terrible work conditions. The heat in the Southern Colonies was incredibly high and unbearable to work it. Most people who had a choice as to where they would work would not chose to work on a plantation due to the fact that the heat killed numerous people while they were working, the work conditions were terrible, and the work days were very long. Indentured servants also stopped being an option because most people decided that they would rather not be sent to a place where they would be subjected to hard labor, dangerous work environments, and possibly death. The only way plantation owners could get people to work on their plantations was if they were forced to work there, such as the slaves were.
Slaves were the best option of workers for plantation owners, economically and geographically. They were cheap to use, easy to come by, and in some cases, the only option. This issue can be related to the use of illegal immigrants in modern day America. They are often used to do jobs that are deemed unsuitable for the average person, much like the slaves were, and they are given a much smaller pay than what would be given to the average
person.