Final answer:
Enslaved Africans were imported to the North American colonies from the 1680s onward primarily to meet the demand for labor in growing cash crops such as sugar and tobacco. The Royal African Company was chartered in 1672, giving it a monopoly over the transport of enslaved Africans. Enslavement became permanent and heritable in the Americas, unlike in Africa where it was often temporary.
Step-by-step explanation:
From the 1680s onward, the purpose of importing most enslaved Africans to the North American colonies was primarily to meet the increasing demand for labor in growing cash crops, particularly sugar and tobacco. The English crown chartered the Royal African Company in 1672, giving it a monopoly over the transport of enslaved Africans to the English colonies. Africans were seen as a reliable source of labor for labor-intensive crops, and their enslavement became permanent and heritable in the Americas, unlike in Africa where it was often temporary.