Slavery was introduced to North America in the early 17th century by European colonizers, who initially used enslaved Indigenous peoples to work in their colonies. However, as Indigenous peoples were decimated by European diseases and enslavement, colonizers turned to the transatlantic slave trade to bring enslaved Africans to the Americas.
Enslaved Africans were brought to the Americas primarily to provide labor for the production of crops such as tobacco, sugar, and cotton, which were major exports from the colonies to Europe. The system of slavery was based on the idea that people of African descent were inferior to those of European descent, and that it was acceptable to own and exploit them for economic gain. The transatlantic slave trade lasted for over 300 years, and an estimated 12 million Africans were forcibly transported to the Americas as part of this trade. The legacy of slavery and racism continues to have a profound impact on American society today.