The Longstanding Institution of Slavery in the United...

Slavery, as an institution, has existed since the dawn of civilization. However, by the fifteenth century, slavery in Northern Europe was almost nonexistent. Nevertheless, with the discovery of the New World, the English experienced a shortage of laborers to work the lands they claimed. The English tried to enslave the natives, but they resisted and were usually successful in escaping. Furthermore, with the decline of indentured servants, the Europeans looked elsewhere for laborers. It is then, within the British colonies, do the colonists turn to the enslavement of Africans. Although Native Americans were readily available and were initially numerous, Africans became the primary slave used in the colonies because the Native American†¦show more content†¦Diseases that Europeans had built immunity to, quickly ravaged Indian communities, killing as many as ninety percent of the natives. In addition, the harsh working conditions set by the owners furthered killed many of the na tive slaves. Furthermore, when traders provoked Indian wars to obtain more slaves, the conflict would often spread to nearby English settlements, discouraging the enslavement of Indians. Unlike the African slaves, the Indians were more likely to try and escape because they could disappear to their tribal lands more easily. Also, Native American men were generally raised to be hunters and considered agriculture to be womens work, so they were not much use for field labor. With a dwindling population, Native Americans could not fulfill the numbers needed to work the plantations. As a result, although the Native American slave trade persisted into the eighteenth century, by 1700 it was overshadowed and replaced by the African slave trade. As the population in England began to level off after 1670, there was a reduced number of people who were desperate enough to become indentured servants. Furthermore, most of the indentured servants who were involved in the early colonization finished their contract. With the declination of indentured servants, the colonists turned to African slaves as a source of labor. Unlike the Native Americans, the Africans were easier to acquire as slaves due to the preexisting African slave trade. In 1698, when ParliamentShow MoreRelatedManifest Destiny, Slavery, and the Breakdown of the Union1246 Words   |  5 PagesManifest Destiny is a phrase that expressed the belief that the United States had a divinely inspired mission to expand, spreading its form of democracy and freedom.The phrase Manifest Destiny was first used primarily by Jackson Democrats in the 1840s to promote the annexation of much of what is now the Western United States (the Oregon Territory, the Texas Annexation, and the Mexican Cession). 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