Why did African slavery develop in the New World and how did the institution vary in different locations?

Answer 1

African slavery began in the new world because the Europeans had just moved there and needed people to work but couldn't enslave Indians because most had died off from diseases the Europeans had. So the Africans were ideal.

One of the variations was indentured servitude. Mostly Europeans were this type of slave, where they agreed to be a servant for a set amount of time in exchange for passage to the New World or other services. However it is possible that there were some Black slaves who came to the New World this way, since there were Black colonialists before slavery became a big thing in the US.

The type of slavery certainly varied per location. Mostly in the South, slaves worked mainly in the fields. They may have worked indoors as well, particularly women and children. In other places like the North, domestic slaves were more common.

Even today, slavery still exists in some form. For instance, prisons are a source for free labor. There is illegal Immigration and such undocumented workers regularly get exploited. They either work regular jobs for less than legal minimum wage, or they work in "under the table" types of jobs, where they are often enslaved in the more classic sense. Somewhere in between that are "sweat shops," where lots of people, usually illegal immigrants, are packed into a room to produce clothing, jewelry, or other products, often for little or no pay, and often in unsafe conditions.