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From Carolina to Georgia, from Texas to California, slavery was an integral part of American History. Without it, the nation would not have grown as fast, nor would it have had the power to influence other nations had it did. While each of these areas depended on slavery for economical prosperity, the conditions varied from region to region. Part of this was because different countries colonized different regions; therefore, they had different moral codes, had different jobs for their slaves to do, and obtained their slaves in different ways and from different areas.

One of the earliest variations of slavery occurred in the Spanish colonies of New Mexico. In the 17th century the population was diverse, and rested on the borders of Indian Territory. By 1680, half of all Mexican households held Indian captives. They were either treated as a lower class member of the family, or ill treated with abuse and neglect. Either way you look at it, they were enslaved, forced to meet the demands of the family. Colonist also "extracted" labor from neighboring Indian villages. The situation was basically an imposed sharecropping situation on an un-indebted group of people. They would invade their farms and demand certain amounts of the Pueblo's produce and products.

Around the same time, a flux of voluntary slaves immigrated to Virginia. They were Young men and women chasing a dream of their own land and fortunes. They were known as indentured servants. This means they signed up to serve for 4 to 7 years with the promise of their own land in the end. Unfortunately, most of these servants did not live long enough to claim their land.

Lifetime slaves came into the picture during the same time. The cost for a slave was higher than a servant, so most farmers preferred to buy servants. Slave trade was controlled mostly by the Dutch. Until 1675, the black population remained around 5%. Some of them were slaves, others servants, and a few were free. Most of the black immigrants during this time were from the Caribbean, not Africa. After 1680, the life expectancy grew enough that slaves became a better economic investment, the service time was longer and owners retained rights over any children born of their slaves. This caused fewer white indentured servant immigrants and a rise in black slave labor.

English plantation colonization of the West Indies Islands provided a jumping ground to Carolina. The early 1600s brought Immigrants from England and France, including indentured servants.

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