The first slaves arrived in Virginia around 1619, and slavery existed in America for the next 250 years

In the United States, slaves had no rights. A slave could be bought and sold just like a cow or horse. Slaves had no say in where they lived or who they worked for.

 Slaves worked about 18 hours every day. They slept 3 – 4 hours. Some slaves slept in a one- room shack that has no furniture or beds.  Most slaves worked on cotton plantations. Kids would pull weeds, feed chickens, scare crows away from the cornfields, pick insects off the crops, or carry water to other workers.

 Slaves who worked in the fields were called, " Field Hands". Field Hands worked longer then any other kind of slave. They usually worked from sunrise to sunset.  Slaves who worked in their owner’s house were called, "House Slaves". House Slaves usually live in their owners house and worked few hours. They also had the right to do things the Field Hands could not do.

 From the 16th to the 19th centuries, an estimated 12 million Africans were shipped as slaves to the Americas.Americas

Slavery was abolished after American Civil War in 1865.