American slavery

American slavery was a system from the 17th to 19th centuries where millions of Africans and their descendants were forcibly taken from Africa, owned, and forced to work without pay, primarily on plantations. It was built on racial discrimination, denying enslaved people basic rights and treating them as property. Slavery fueled economic growth in the South through the production of cotton, tobacco, and sugar. It was legally abolished in 1865 with the 13th Amendment, but its legacy of racial inequality and injustice persists today.