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Recent questions

• Why did Europeans turn to Africans for labor in the New World?

  Europeans turned to Africans for labor in the New World due to the scarcity of land and the abundance of available workers. Initial attempts to enslave Native Americans failed, leading Europeans to seek African laborers who were coerced into brutal enslavement practices by African slave traders. This shift in labor source ultimately resulted in the establishment of slavery in the Southern colonies to meet the labor demands for staple crops like tobacco, indigo, cotton, and rice.

• How did slavery become prevalent in the Southern colonies?

  Slavery became prevalent in the Southern colonies due to the need for a self-reproducing labor force to work on plantations cultivating staple crops. By 1720, slavery was firmly established in the South to meet the labor demands of crops like tobacco, indigo, cotton, and rice. The economic reasons for the prevalence of slavery in the South contrasted with the North, where slavery was less common.

• What were some forms of slave resistance in the New World?

  Slave resistance in the New World took various forms, including subtle acts like slowing work, pretending to be ill, and damaging property. While most slaves in the South worked on plantations as field hands, resistance was a common way for them to assert some agency and resist the oppressive conditions of slavery. Rare rebellions like the Stono Rebellion, which faced severe consequences, also occurred as more overt forms of resistance.

• How did African slave traders contribute to the enslavement of Africans?

  African slave traders played a significant role in the enslavement of Africans by coercing them to enslave their own people. This practice led to brutal enslavement practices and the infamous Middle Passage, where enslaved Africans were transported under horrific conditions to the New World. The involvement of African slave traders in the transatlantic slave trade perpetuated the cycle of enslavement and exploitation of Africans in the New World.

• Why was slavery less common in the North compared to the South?

  Slavery was less common in the North compared to the South primarily due to economic reasons. The labor demands for staple crops like tobacco, indigo, cotton, and rice were higher in the South, leading to the establishment of slavery as a prevalent institution to meet these needs. In contrast, the economic activities and agricultural practices in the North did not rely as heavily on slave labor, resulting in slavery being less common in Northern colonies.