Final answer:
Primary sources for understanding the dynamics of slavery during the colonial era include first-hand accounts by those enslaved, legal records, and economic data illustrating the national scope of slavery in shaping the colonial economy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Some of the primary sources during the colonial era that offer insights into the dynamics of slavery include narratives by enslaved and former enslaved people, petitions by slaves, and legal documents. Primary sources such as "Slaves-Thirty Years a Slave: From Bondage to Freedom" by Louis Hughes provide first-hand accounts of the experience of slavery. Moreover, the petition of slaves in Boston gives a view into the resistance against slavery and the quest for freedom. Legislation, economic records, and newspapers from the period also serve as primary sources that show how deeply ingrained slavery was in the colonial economy, affecting commodities such as tobacco, rice, indigo, cotton, and sugar. These documents reveal the transition from indentured servitude to slavery and the various forms of slavery across the colonies, from the plantation-based slavery in the South to the diverse labor arrangements in the North and middle colonies. In understanding the scope and impact of slavery, it is crucial to note that it was a national institution central to the American economy and not merely a Southern one. Approximately 350,000 enslaved blacks lived in the colonies by 1760, spread across both northern and southern regions, indicating the pervasive nature of slavery.