The history and growth of slavery in colonial America were tied to the rise of land cultivation, and particularly the boom in the production of rice (in the Carolinas).
High European demand for cash crops (sugar, and rice).
Difficulty in enslaving Natives, and lack of indentured servants were the reasons for the growth of slavery.
By 1840, cotton produced in the American South earned more money than all other U.S. exports combined.
White Southerners came to believe that cotton could be grown with slave labour.
Over time, many took for granted that their prosperity, even their way of life, was inseparable from African slavery.
Because the climate and soil of the South were suitable for the cultivation of commercial (plantation) crops such as tobacco, rice, and indigo, slavery developed in the southern colonies on a much larger scale than in the northern colonies.
The latter's labour needs were met primarily through the use of Europeans.
