Most everybody are quite aware that slavery was part and parcel of American life, till the end of the civil war; of course, somewhat forgotten, is that slavery in America, was originally initiated when America, wasn't the United States of America, but was instead an English colony. Also forgotten in the sands of history, is that Britain decided that colonial America was a valid destination to send their convicts to, and subsequently in the 17th and 18th centuries England transported over 50,000 convicts to their American colony.
A significant amount of the convicts shipped to America, landed in Virginia and Maryland, to which their labor was put to work specifically to help the tobacco trade, to which at that time, tobacco was the most important exported product produced in America, as well as being used occasionally as a cash substitute to transact financial matters at home. In an era in which machinery played a very minor role in crop production, much labor therefore was necessitated to cultivate tobacco, and for those planters that lack deep financial resources, the indentured servitude and thereby employment of British convicts, was actually significantly cheaper than the purchase of slaves, so that in return for a modest fee upfront to the transporter and/or trader of convicted labor, the planter received an indentured servant whose term with him would be from five to seven or even fourteen years, to which at the end of such service, the planter would owe the indentured convict, no money, and the convict would now be free to make a living on his own or to somehow return back to England.
Not too surprisingly, since these were convicts, they weren't treated well during their passage on the Atlantic Ocean, to which, they were often chained, subject to infectious and debilitating diseases due to the poor sanitary conditions, and/or subsequently died from privation. Upon their arrival in America they were not accorded any respect as they were seen for what they were, convicts. They were, as indentured servants, exploited heavily, to whom most were paid nothing for their labor, except to receive in return room and board, and often hired as field hands and thereby worked the hard labor of cultivating tobacco. For the few convicts that had notable skills, their options were more accommodating, in which they might receive a modest compensation for their craft, but would legally still be an indentured servant.
While there was some controversy and complaint by respected and notable Americans, that this colony should not be a dumping ground for convicts, this was mainly overshadowed by the fact that the tobacco plantations recognized the utility of cheap convict labor and were only too happy to be an active participant and party to this trade. In addition, the sheer number of convicts exported to America as well as the color of these convict's skin, helped to effectively reduce the pricing of African slaves, because both these forcefully imported labor forces competed within the same general market.
The importation of convict labor to America that were transported here by England could not have occurred without the active complicity of American plantation owners, who saw these convicts as a lucrative source to increase their wealth upon the bent backs of those in a country not of their origin and without the resources or wherewithal to effectively stand up