Slavery in US History

Most Americans learn about the history of slavery in the United States by studying the Civil War. However, the roots of slavery go back much further in American history. Slavery played a role in the early development of the British colonies in North America. The British slave trade began in the 1600s, and the first slaves were brought to the colonies in the early 1700s. Slavery was institutionalized in the American colonies by the early 1800s. By the time of the Civil War, there were more than four million slaves in the United States.

The Civil War was fought to end slavery in the United States. The Union victory in 1865 led to the abolition of slavery. Reconstruction, the period following the Civil War in which the federal government sought to ensure equality for African Americans, was a time of great progress for black Americans. However, Reconstruction ended in the late 1870s, and African Americans faced a new era of racism and discrimination. The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s finally brought about an end to Jim Crow laws and other forms of discrimination.

Unfortunately, the legacy of slavery still affects race relations in the United States today.