Summarize slavery

in the United States

Slavery in the United States began in the early 1600s when the first African slaves were brought to the British colonies. Slavery was a major part of the economy in the South, where it was used to produce cotton, tobacco, and other crops. Slaves were treated as property and were denied basic rights and freedoms. After the Civil War, slavery was abolished in the United States with the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865. Despite the end of legal slavery, African Americans continued to face discrimination and segregation in the decades that followed.