Early in America's history, the agriculture business emerged as a profitable part of the American economy, and farmers and plantation owners quickly realized that one of the best ways to maximize their profits was to employ skilled workers who could meet daily quotas of crops picked but pay these workers nothing. Skilled, burly hard working laborers that did not require payment sounded ideal to early Americans. Rather than pay American workers a small amount a day or even a week, farm owners could pay nothing to these workers and pocket whatever money was set aside for payment of employees; this notion could be achieved through slavery. "Slave labor allowed growers of cash crops-including tobacco, sugar, and cotton-to minimize labor costs while maintaining a stable, highly productive workforce" (Newman 12). Farm owners across the nation adopted similar workforces, and although not all of their workers were African-American slaves, these owners began employing the closest thing to slaves with "low-paid seasonal agricultural workers from China, the Philippines, and Japan" (Newman 12). It is imperative to notice that a clear pattern of netting profit from migrant workers was established early on in this country. It should also be noted that contrary to popular belief, African Americans were not the only race that was being abused as slave workers during the 1800s. Many workers during this time period were from countries such as Ireland and these workers often were treated just as bad, if not worse, than African-American slaves. The Irish migrant workers that did manage to be free workers rather than indentured slaves were pigeonholed into working the least desirable of jobs for a low pay. In fact, "Irish immigrants often entered the workforce at the bottom of the occupational ladder and took on the menial and particularly dangerous jobs that were often avoided by other workers" ("Joining the Workforce").
