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They were needed to do the work. Plantations are huge and grow a lot of crops. One of the main crops was cotton which is a labor intensive crop. Before the cotton gin the cotton seeds had to be removed by hand. This is hard to do because cotton is dense and the seeds are small. Cotton is also hard to pick. The cotton plant has thorns and the cotton is hard to remove from the bolls. Slaves also planted by hand a rice plant that had stems that would cut their hands as they stood all day in ankle deep water. There was not enough workers to work the plantation systems so they turned to slavery. It was also easy to recognize who was a slave and who wasn't. Any African American was a slave and required a pass to be off the plantation.

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8y ago
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14y ago

because they were enslaved, and slaves aren't paid.

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13y ago

Slaves mostly in agricultural work as field hands, crop pickers, etc.

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Q: Why did colonies need africans for slave labor?
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Why was the Africans brought to the English colonies to meet demands?

In 1619 the first slave came to the colonies and as the need for workers evolved the use of slavery grew.


How did the end of the encomienda system lend to the use of enslaved Africans?

When the encomienda system ended in 1542, the colonies' need for labor still had to be met. To meet the colonies need for labor, Las Casas suggested Africans. "The labof of one [...African...is] more valuable than that of four Indians," he said.


What is one explanation for the American colonies' need for slave labor from Africa?

Most enslaved Native Americans died from disease or overwork.


Why did the Europeans need to bring African slave over to work the plantations?

Europeans brought African slaves to work on plantations because native populations were decimated by diseases brought by Europeans and were not sufficient in number or adapted to the harsh working conditions. Africans were seen as a readily available and exploitable labor source due to the Atlantic slave trade.


Why were there mostly slaves in the southern colonies?

The northern colonies became industrialized while the south grew crops. The south said that they need slave labor and the very large plantations, which covered hundreds of acres, required labor to bring in crops. They didn't have the large machines we have now and they had to be harvested mainly by hand.


Why did the southern colonies become home to the largest population of enslaved Africans?

The need for enslaved Africans in the Southern colonies in America stemmed from the lack of local labor at cotton plantations. Because of this, slaves became a low cost way to make the fields produce the large amounts of cotton demanded by Europe.


How did colonists participate in slave trade?

In the south, the colonies had plantations. Mainly cotton. They used slaves for free labor, so they would make more money. That way, they wouldn't need to pay them.


How did European conquerors meet their need for labor on sugar plantations?

They brought enslaved Africans to America.


What American colonies relied on slavery the most?

The colonies in which there was much land work to be done in order to keep a steady income. This meant that people (usually white males) who owned large farms and needed cheap labor would hire slaves in order to fill their needs for production.


Why did the Virginia colony need African slave labor?

Cheap...its all about economics.


What effects did the cotton gin have on the southern economy?

It bolstered the need for slave labor in the South.


Why did some colonist enslave Native and Africans?

they wanted cheap labor on the plantations and mines. This is different from indentured servants because there is a light at the end of the tunnel for an indentured servant. Meaning that they work like a slave, but they are free after seven years, but a slave has to work until the end of his/her days.