by Graydyl

Created on: May 30, 2008

The origin of slavery in North America brought about a number of changes, affecting the social, economic, and political structures of the American colonies. The institution of slavery occurred in the closing decades of the 17th century. The number of slaves grew rapidly as the demand for slaves increased, especially in the southern colonies. Because of the increase of wages in England, the supply of immigrants to the colonies decreased, causing the colonists to look for a labor force elsewhere. Furthermore, large-plantation owners were uneasy by the political demands of small farmers and indentured servants, as well as about the mayhem of Bacon's Rebellion. They believed that slavery would provide them with a stable labor force that was totally under their control. And as tobacco prices fell, rice and indigo became the most profitable crops; to grow these crops successfully, a large land area was required, as well as a large number of inexpensive and relatively unskilled field hands. As the colonists realized that slaves fit under all this criteria, the slave trade blossomed and more and more slaves began to be imported to America, inflating the black population in the colonies, especially Virginia.

The introduction of a slave society into America caused the colonists to construct and adopt the slave codes of 1705. It was during the last half of the 17th century when the black indentured servants with hopes of freedom were increasingly being replaced by black slaves. These laws were created primarily to ensure that African Americans would be held in bondage for life and that their slave status would be inherited by their children. They were labeled as real estate and owned property, sold and advertised as if products on sale.

Act X specifically created a legal distinction between white and black men, furthering the racial discrimination that was growing. Through the numerous and constantly growing acts regarding slaves, both racism and slavery became an essential part of American colonial society. With the growing population of slaves into the lives of the colonists, society inevitably changed. Social class was altered as well, with a newly emerged wealthy class of slave-trading merchants, and with the blacks at the very bottom of the structure. With this change in social class structure, whites were more frequent to mistreat their black slaves and abuse them in inhumane ways . Slave-owners were also pardoned from accidentally killing any resistant slaves. It

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