"Without slavery, the New World would not have been developed. In the southern colonies, the enslavement of Africans further advanced America's economic success in the 17th and 18th centuries. Between 1607 and 1775, economic, geographic, and social factors contributed to the expansion of slavery. Among these factors are: the costs and benefits of colonists owning slaves, the geography and climate of the land in the southern region, the different cultures of Africans brought together by slavery, and the ideas associated with slaves by Europeans. .
To begin with, economic factors encouraged the growth of slavery in the southern colonies of the New World. The early colonies required an extensive amount of labor to become successful. Because the economy of the New World was strictly based on agriculture and commerce, and it was impossible for the early English colonists to do the hard labor themselves, the thought of slavery appealed to future slave owners. Indentured servitude became a problem because some of those who were servants were unsatisfied with their payments after their serving time was completed. Bacon's Rebellion occurred, and indentured servitude became unappealing, yet there was still a significant amount of labor to be done. African slaves were more costly, yet they were slaves for life and whatever offspring they produced, were kept by the master. This would allow the buyer to invest in a slave and sell the slave's children. All of these factors were appealing to the slave holder, and therefore, slavery expanded over the years.
Also, geographic factors greatly affected the growth of slavery. The Virginia colony's climate was warm and the soil was fertile. These were perfect conditions for the cultivation of tobacco. Tobacco production became a leading cash crop in the Chesapeake region. The cultivation of tobacco required the help of slaves. Without them, Virginia would not thrive in the tobacco industry as they did.
