The slave trade (initially started by the Spanish) marked the beginning of a new era. Slaves not only did forced labor from dusk until dawn, but also indicated status. To society then, a truly wealthy plantation owner was one that owned many slaves. This indicated that he could afford to buy them, but also the acreage he owned. They thought that slaves were below them for several reasons: mainly skin color, but also culture. Slaves not only did not look like the white landowners, they did not dress like them, they did not think like them and did not act like them, and to their eyes this indicated low social status. This type of mentality would remain unchanged for many years to come.
             During the early 1600s,what the Puritans thought that the American character was hard work, unity, and suppressed emotions. They thought it was necessary for an individual to lead a 'pure' life full of hardships and self-sacrifice in order to go to Heaven. Children we
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