African Americans: Slavery and Freedom

During the British colonial period, the institution of slavery was sustained in all colonies. In the period between the 1790s and the Civil War, slaves had played an important role of labor, working mainly in the Chesapeake region in agriculture, especially growing tobacco and cotton. There were more plantation owners purchased slaves and it also encouraged the growth of the slave trade to America because the price of slaves decreased since the Dutch lost their monopoly on the slave trade. At the end of the Revolutionary War against Great Britain, slavery still continued to increase, particularly in the South, where its plantation economy depended on slave labor. In contrast, the need of slaves decreased in the North because industry mostly supported the economy. Due to the different economies of the North and the South, the significant for slavery was also different. However, during the period of time from 1775 to 1830, African Americans had struggled against white people to gain freedom and civil rights in general.
In the South, during the nineteenth century, the plantations started expanding after Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, signed the Louisiana Purchases which was one of the largest land deals in history. He opened millions of acres in order to encourage many white Southerners to move from West to Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. This widescale type of farming created not only great amount of lands but also majority of the slaves. Besides, with warm weather, these regions became good ideal places for agriculture. That was also a reason for the growth of slavery. Slaves in the South primarily cultivated indigo, rice, tobacco and cotton. Furthermore, slavery played an economic necessity as huge plantations, particularly producing cotton. Because there were many slaves, the slave owners had to control them strictly in order to avoid them from escaping. Also, the treatment of slaves was harsh and inhumane. For example, slaves... [continues]

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