The arrival of the first American laborers to the English colony of Virginia in
1619 began the tragic history of slavery in North America. By 1776 when
Americans fought for "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", slavery had already
prevailed in their country for more than a hundred and fifty years. In the years that
followed the first colonizers, slavery paced the growth of the U.S.; it was the rise of
America. The territory of the slave states at the time of the civil war was equal if not
greater to that of the original thirteen colonies in 1776. …
