Why did white people bring african slaves to America?

Question

I mean did we really need them? And why Norway, Luxembourg, Switezerland didn't need them to be rich contries?

Answer 1

By the time African slavery became commonplace, most of the economy in Europe was not based on agriculture. However, America's greatest resource was the availability of untouched land, suitable for growing cash crops. During early colonization, Native American labor was used, but their susceptibility to disease was a problem. Eventually, landowners needed replacements for the Native Americans who died. Some of this need was filled by indentured servants, but slave labor was cheaper.
In many ways, the Northern states were much more European economically. They had diverse industries, many of which needed skilled labor. Also, many groups, such as the Quakers, became very abolitionist. This did not happen in the South, where cheap labor was necessary to make a living growing tobacco and cotton.

Answer 2

In early America there was a lot of money to be made raising tobacco. The problem was that raising it was labor intensive and it robbed the nutrients from the soil so that new fields needed to be constantly cleared. That made even more labor. If any money were to be made cheap labor had to be found. Later on the market for cotton made it the primary slave-grown crop. The Portuguese were the first to market slaves. They bought them from Africa, the tribes kidnapped each others people and sold them to the slave buyers who shipped them where they could get the best price; where the cheap labor was in demand. Once the institution of slavery was established the people who prospered under it could not give it up without losing their easy lifestyle. You see, it was all about money, on every guilty hand. The other countries you mention could not have taken advantage of the labor, their climates where not conducive to growing a high demand cash crop so slaves would not have been an advantage, just more mouths to feed.

Answer 3

You mean if Africans had never enslaved their own people and sold them to the highest bidders around the world. Only 5.5% came to the USA. 30% went to Brazil! America would have been a LOT better off economically and due to much less crime. Never forget that the Africans who were the slave class weren't exactly the cream of the crop- even over there!

Answer 4

Could it be the money or American people were just lazy people, there isn’t no good reason for this to had happen, the situation is just like if I come from Africa with some drugs and sell them to American people I should not be charge with a crime because, some people in Africa sold me the drugs yes I would be part of the problem, so do America need to be penalty for this crime?

Answer 5

Honestly a lot of black people don't want to admit it but it was mostly our own race that sold us into slavery. The white people didn't just say, "Hey ****** you're mine!" Nope they bought us from some tribe in africa. You can go to Africa now and witness the division of cultures. Men in Ethiopia to this day still continue to sell their daughters into marriages based on barter. That's how that the saying lives, money makes the world go around.

Answer 6

Slavery proved to be an economically advantageous method of securing a labor supply for plantation style agriculture in the New World.

Answer 7

I guess they looked at slaves the same way they did as livestock. They were a part of wealth too. That's why they made a big deal when slaves ran away.

Answer 8

actually, we tried the natives, but they kept dying. We tried the Irish but they kept killing. the Arab slave-traders and African Kings were all for it and since no one wanted to pay high prices for cotton, !VOILA! a solution!! It's all about money. And white people never really brought the slaves in they only bought them. Splitting hairs, but still a distinction. So the reason we bought the slaves is the same reason that we allow illegal immigration

Answer 9

They needed cheap labor because they didn't have tractors and they had huge amounts of land.