Why was slave labor so important to the economy of the Southern colonies?

Question

Group of answer choices

The slave trade was the most profitable industry in the region.

Enslaved Africans provided much of the labor for Southern industries such as ironworking.

Enslaved Africans provided much of the labor on large farms that grew cash crops.

Subsistence farmers struggled to grow enough food without the help of enslaved Africans.

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

Enslaved Africans provided much of the labor on large farms that grew cash crops.

Slave labor was crucial in the Southern colonies primarily because these colonies relied on large-scale agriculture, particularly the cultivation of cash crops like tobacco, rice, and indigo. Enslaved Africans were essential to this agricultural system, as they provided the labor necessary to plant, cultivate, and harvest these crops, which were the backbone of the Southern economy.