Slavery Act
Slavery was caused by economic factors of the English
settlers in the late 17th century. Colonists continually
tried to allure laborers to the colony. The headright
system was to give the indentured servant, a method of
becoming independent after a number of years of service.
Slavery was caused by economic reasons. Colonists chiefly
relied on Indentured Servitude, inorder to facilitate their
need for labor. The decreasing population combined with a
need for a labor force, led colonists to believe that
African slaves were the most efficient way to acquire a
labor force that would satisfy their needs.
Before the 1680's, Indentured Servitude was the primary
source of labor in the newly developed colonies. After the
1680's, the population of the Indentured Servants
decreased, exponentially. Their were a number of different
reasons why the population of Indentured Servents had
decreased. The indentured servents were running away from
their temporary masters, to find a job where he could
become more independent. Indentured servents were also
dying of many diseases, which was caused by harsh
conditions. The immigration of servents thus declined,
becuase of the people in England being informed of the
harsh treatment in the colonies. The society was where the
land was easy to find, while the labor was most scarce.
Indentured servitude, was a form of labor which was
declining, and the need for labor increased rapidly.
In the 1600's, when tobacco was founded by John Rolfe,
tobacco became the main source of income for most of the
colonists. The economic prosperity of the colonies was
primarily dependent on the amount of tobacco produced. The
growing of tobacco, needed a large amount of land, with a
large stable work force. The increased demand...
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