SETTLING NORTH AMERICA 1497 1732
FOUNDING OF THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES
|
Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
|
|
|
was only used on farms
|
|
|
made up most of the population
|
|
|
was mostly enslaved Native Americans
|
|
|
accounted for 2-3 percent of the population
|
Detailed explanation-1: -Slavery did exist in the New England and Middle colonies, just at a smaller scale. In New England, enslaved Africans accounted for about 2-3% of the population before the American Revolution.
Detailed explanation-2: -They accounted for as much as 30 percent of the population in South Kingston, Rhode Island, and were a significant presence in Boston (10%), New London (9%), and New York (7.2%). Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island were the three New England states with the largest slave population.
Detailed explanation-3: -Though only 25% of the colonial population owned slaves, slavery factored heavily in the economy of all the British North American colonies, and not just in the plantation economy of the South.
Detailed explanation-4: -Lacking large-scale plantations, New England did not have the same level of demand for slave labor as the South. But slavery still existed there until well into the 19th century.
Detailed explanation-5: -In fact, throughout the colonial period, Virginia had the largest slave population, followed by Maryland.