' s ▁American ▁colon ies ' ▁need ▁for ▁labor , ▁especially ▁for ▁the ▁labor - int ensive ▁plant ation ▁econom ies ▁of ▁the ▁sugar ▁colon ies ▁in ▁the ▁Car ib bean , ▁operated ▁by ▁Great ▁Britain , ▁France , ▁Spain , ▁and ▁the ▁Dutch ▁Republic . ▁ ▁Most ▁ens la ved ▁people ▁who ▁were ▁ultimately ▁brought ▁to ▁the ▁Th ir teen ▁British ▁colon ies   — ▁the ▁Eastern ▁se ab o ard ▁of ▁what ▁later ▁became ▁the ▁United ▁States   — ▁were ▁imported ▁from ▁the ▁Car ib bean , ▁not ▁directly ▁from ▁Africa . ▁They ▁were ▁taken ▁to ▁the ▁Car ib bean ▁islands ▁as ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁the ▁Atlantic ▁slave ▁trade . ▁Ind igen ous ▁people ▁were ▁also ▁ens la ved ▁in ▁the ▁North ▁American ▁colon ies , ▁but ▁on ▁a ▁smaller ▁scale , ▁and ▁Indian ▁sla very ▁largely ▁ended ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁eigh teenth ▁century ▁although ▁the ▁ens lav ement ▁of ▁Ind igen ous ▁people ▁did ▁continue ▁to ▁occur ▁in ▁the ▁Southern ▁states ▁until ▁the ▁E man cip ation ▁Pro clam ation ▁issued ▁by ▁President ▁Abraham ▁Lincoln ▁in ▁ 1 8 6 3 . ▁In ▁the ▁English ▁colon ies , ▁slave ▁status ▁for ▁Afr icans ▁became ▁her edit ary ▁in ▁the ▁mid - 1 7 th ▁century ▁with ▁the ▁passage ▁of ▁colonial ▁laws ▁that ▁defined ▁children ▁born ▁in ▁the ▁colon ies ▁as ▁taking ▁the ▁status ▁of ▁the ▁mother , ▁under ▁the ▁principle ▁of ▁part us ▁sequ it ur ▁vent rem . ▁ ▁Native ▁Americans ▁ ▁Native ▁Americans ▁ens la ved ▁members ▁of