Indentured servants were the first form of slavery in America. Their master would pay their way to the New World and in turn they would have to spend seven years of their life working for their master. This proved to be too costly so the colonials ventured to the Dutch trade of slavery. The Dutch would capture Africans on their homeland and take them through the Middle Passage to the New World where they would be treated like animals for the remainder of their lives. African slavery was much more efficient from the colonial's perspective. They would purchase a slave which was indebted to work for the rest of their life; it was also said that the Africans were used to the hot weather of the New World and can get more work done than any European. Though now viewed as morally and politically incorrect, slavery proved to be as vital to America as the Constitution. .
The Dutch would make arrangements with tribal officials in Africa for the purchase of slaves. They would often bribe the officials with riches and gold and the officials would comply by giving them a number of slaves. The Dutch would then pack the slaves into a boat and travel across the Middle Passage. This voyage would take months and was physically draining to a slave. The Dutch would not provide adequate shelter and would stack slave upon slave until the boat was full. They did not provide an outhouse for the slaves so they were living in their own feces. The conditions were so harsh that many slaves often died. The Dutch would not find the dead slaves until they reached America and unloaded the boat, meaning living people were exposed to the dead for months. The percentages were not good to survive this trip let alone the hostile world they were going to.
Once the slaves arrived to America they were sold as merchandise. There would be slave auctions where northern and southern plantation owners would come and auction on slaves.