Using the graph below, infer why you think there was an increase in slavery and a decrease in servants arriving in Virginia in the 1600s.
Question 11 options:
a)
Because the English colonies preferred slaves from West Africa
b)
Because servants would eventually gain their freedom, whereas slaves would remain as slaves for as long as their master needed them.
c)
Because slaves were more expensive than servants.
d)
Because servants were rude and ran away often.
The correct answer is b) Because servants would eventually gain their freedom, whereas slaves would remain as slaves for as long as their master needed them.
This can be inferred from the graph because it shows that the number of servants arriving in Virginia decreases over time, while the number of slaves increases. This suggests that the demand for slaves increased compared to servants. One possible reason for this is that servants, who were typically indentured laborers, would serve a set period of time and then gain their freedom, while slaves were considered property and would remain enslaved for as long as their master wanted.