Prior to the use of slavery, American colonies used indentured servants. These servants, who were usually young, white males, would exchange a number of years of servitude for their passage into the New World. During the 1800's, the northern states in the United States became industrialized, and the southern states further developed their economies with farms and large plantations. Staple crops included cotton, sugar, tobacco, indigo, and rice. These crops required large amounts of labor, and indentured servants were suddenly not enough. This needed labor ultimately came from African slaves. Even the most basic human rights of these workers were neglected, and the slaves were considered pieces of property. They were forced to work long hours (usually from sunrise to sundown) and had to endure physical and emotional abuse. Whippings, flogging, and the separation of families were not rare. Conflict continued to arise as northern and southern states began to debate the issue of slavery.

Abolitionists such as former-slave Harriet Tubman helped other slaves to escape to freedom. Their goal was to "abolish" slavery. Other famous abolitionists included Frederick Douglass, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Levi Coffin. Usually, slaves escaped to Canada, Mexico, or the northern parts of the U.S. through the Underground Railroad, a secret escape route that was created in 1804.

The issue of slavery would eventually become one of the underlying causes of the Civil War.