9781422274194

first of millions of Africans sold in the British colonies of North America over the next two centuries. As new British colonies were established, slavery was soon introduced in each one. Raising cash crops like tobacco or sugar cane involved a lot of work—more than the colonists could handle by themselves. Importing slaves from Africa was a solution to the labor shortage. European colonists justified owning other humans by promoting the idea that African slaves were less intelligent than whites. Over time, the idea developed that people with different skin coloration or physical features were not fully human. The legacy of these beliefs is racism and bias that has lasted beyond the time of slavery.

A group of slaves on their way to a cotton field in South Carolina.

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ESCAPE FROM SLAVERY