The reasons why there were fewer slaves in the backcountry of the southern colonies compared to areas closer to the coast include:
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Colonists in the backcountry were primarily self-sufficient: Many backcountry settlers were small farmers who relied on subsistence farming, which did not require a large workforce of slaves. They tended to grow their own food and have less emphasis on cash crops that required slave labor.
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Colonists in the backcountry were poor and couldn’t afford slaves: Many backcountry settlers were economically disadvantaged and lacked the resources necessary to purchase and maintain slaves.
While it’s true that some colonists in the backcountry may have been opposed to slavery on moral or ethical grounds, this was not the primary reason for the low numbers of slaves in those regions. Additionally, the notion that there was no way to travel to the backcountry to support the colonists is not accurate in this context, as travel routes existed, though they were more arduous compared to coastal areas.
In summary, the primary factors were self-sufficiency and economic constraints.