The advent of slavery
The What?
The advent of slavery, arguably one of the most pivotal moments in American history: when the first slaves arrived in America. By the late 1610s, the Jamestown colony overcome most of its early difficulties and was beginning to become commercially successful. Cash crops such as tobacco and sugar were very profitable, but tedious or even difficult to grow and harvest. In order to make the process easier, Jamestown began importing slaves and indentured servants. In the beginning, the latter was cheaper and more desirable; however, as time went on and indentured servants rebelled, more and more people began to purchase slaves rather than hire indentured servants. As time went on, slaves’ rights were restricted, and many saw the institution as morally bankrupt. Slavery would continue to grow as an institution for nearly a quarter of a millennium and would end (officially) only with the Civil War.
Why's It Important?
Hoo boy. Where to begin? To put it simply, slavery would be the biggest dividing issue in the United States… until the Civil Rights movement. At the Constitutional Convention, many northern delegates wished to outlaw slavery altogether, while the southern delegates wanted no restrictions whatsoever (3/5ths Compromise, Slave Trade Ban, etc.). Later, northern states wanted slavery to be restricted to where it already was, while southern states advocated for the unrestricted expansion thereof (Missouri Compromise, Kansas-Nebraska Act, etc.). Later still, northern states argued against the sovereignty of slaveholders in the north, while (Dred Scott decision, Fugitive Slave Law). In the end, slavery and its associated sectional debates would culminate in the Civil War.