Beginning of Essay
The underlying reasons for the turn to slave labor in early Virginia are plenteous, ranging from colonial economics to pure racism. As the necessity for cheap and permanent labor rose with the success of tobacco cultivation, Virginia planters resorted to the use o ....

Middle of Essay
.... as a servant rather than an investor in the "tobacco game." Because white labor inevitably became inadequate due to its transient nature, and the costs of indentured servitude began to rise, planters turned their eyes toward the cheaper and indefinite service of black laborers. Although it may have not been as socially desirable, African s figured into this "problem" in that they represented skilled labor and were a proficient in tropical agriculture. With a high immunity to diseases such as malaria and yellow fever-lethal to Europeans and Indians alike, African Americans were soon seen as the best and only solution. Plantation owners were attra ....