Final answer:
False. Slavery has a long history, but the practice of racial slavery did not begin in the 1400s.
Step-by-step explanation:
False
The practice of slavery did not begin in the 1400s. Slavery has a long history and has been practiced in various forms by many civilizations throughout time. In ancient times, slavery existed in African kingdoms and chiefdoms, where captives were enslaved for a period of time or even for life. However, the practice of slavery based on race developed in the New World, with the introduction of labor-intensive crops such as sugar and coffee. European colonists turned to African laborers when they couldn't meet their labor needs with prisoners or indentured servants.
While slavery had existed in the South since at least 1619 when a group of Dutch traders arrived at Jamestown with Africans, slavery became a national institution in the United States by the time of the American Revolution. By 1790, there were over 650,000 slaves in the South, which grew to over 1.1 million by 1810.
Overall, slavery has a long history and was practiced by many civilizations before the 1400s, but the specific form of racial slavery as seen in the New World did not emerge until later.