explain how geography and climate impacted the uneven expansion of slavery throughout the colonies.

Answer 1

Land in the American colonies that was arable (farmeable) and easily accessed through water routes tended to have more slavery than rocky and internal areas. Slavery was also more prominent in the warmer areas as cash crops such as cotton, sugar, indigo, and tobacco grew better here.

Answer 2

The use of slave labor in the American colonies depends a lot on the climate for agriculture--farming.

The South was warmer, had a longer growing season and lots of fertile land, so it was good for farming cash crops, such as tobacco, indigo, some sugar cane, and rice. These crops also require a lot of care during the growing season. Large plantations developed. The need for slave labor was greatest in the South.

The Middle Colonies had fertile land but a cooler climate, and a shorter growing season. They mostly grew wheat and other grains to be made into flour to be shipped to the sugar plantations in the Caribbean. Grains don't need as much tending during the growing season, and is easier to harvest than the southern cash crops, so less slave labor was needed. The slaves that were in the Middle Colonies also worked in people's homes and in some artisan's shops such as carpentry, blacksmithing, etc. So the Middle Colonies did not need that much slave labor.

The New England colonies had a much colder climate and much poorer soil, so they did not need slave labor for agriculture that much. (There were a few farms in New England that raised horses and cattle for export to the Caribbean and they had slaves, but not as many as the Southern plantations). The slaves that were in New England were usually house servants or worked for skilled craftsmen, similar to the Middle Colonies. Therefore New England had the least amount of slaves, and the climate had a great deal to do with that.