Slavery Slavery played a particularly important role in the history of the US The first slaves were taken to north america from africa by the dutch in 1619. by the time of the american Revolution(1775 )there were 500,000 slave, mostly in the South. after the revolution the northern states made slavery illegal but the South needed cheap labor for the cotton plantations. Gradually the Souths economy became dependent on slaves and by 1860, the year before the civil War there were about 4 million slaves Conflict between the north and the south increased and it became clear that supporters and opponents of slavery could not continue to be part of the same country In 1861. the slave states left the uS and formed their own government. This was the beginning of the Civil WarSlavery Slavery played a particularly important role in the history of the US. The first slaves were taken to North America from Africa by the Dutch in 1619. By the time of the American Revolution (1775) there were 500,000 slave, mostly in the South. After the Revolution the northern states made slavery illegal but the South needed cheap labor for the cotton plantations. Gradually the South’s economy became dependent on slaves and by 1860, the year before the Civil War, there were about 4 million slaves. Conflict between the North and the South increased, and it became clear that supporters and opponents of slavery could not continue to be part of the same country. In 1861, the slave states left the US and formed their own government. This was the beginning of the Civil War