Why were black people enslaved?

When considering the subject of slavery, it's important to remember that many groups of people have been enslaved by others over the course of history, sometimes by people of their own race. In the United States, Africans were initially brought to the territories to serve as slaves to white land owners and eventually their descendants were also enslaved until the practice was ended following the American Civil War.

As for why Africans and African-Americans were enslaved, the answer is difficult and complicated. In general, the practice of slavery is based on the belief that one group of people is superior to or more valuable than another. As such, the more valuable group felt that they had the right to enslave the inferior group. From the founding of the British colonies into the 18th and early 19th centuries, white people believed that they were superior to people of other races and were more deserving of control over the land and power over other people. For that reason, the use of African slaves as forced laborers was considered to be justifiable because they were believed to be inferior to whites.

In the US, the use of slaves was largely an economic decision that was justified by white superiority. A considerable portion of the American economy was built on slave labor, which is why it was able to grow so quickly.