Slavery in America: Genesis, Contributions, and Issues

Introduction

Slavery in America began in 1619 when the first African slaves were brought to the North American colony of Jamestown, Virginia, to produce an extremely lucrative cash crop of tobacco. Soon it spread to the other American colonies and remained in practice throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. While African-American slaves helped build the economic foundations of the new nation, they played a crucial role in the economic prosperity of the American South after the invention of the cotton gin in 1793.