>>17031557>white people owned black slaves in AmericaLess than 1% of all Americans alive during the time of slavery ever owned a slave. Only the wealthiest of the wealthy Americans could afford slaves because 1) slaves had to be purchased, 2) slaves had to be given food, shelter, and clothing, 3) slave owners needed to be owners of a business to have a need for slaves in the first place, ie - a massive farm or ranch that produced goods for a large community.
Also keep in mind that the slaves came willingly from Africa, that the conditions in their part of Africa was so bad (famine, drought, disease, murderous dictators) that being offered a job, shelter, clothing, and food sounded like a utopia in comparison. In many cases, African village tribal leaders kidnapped their own people and sold them into slavery, but more often it was the case where tribal leaders sold tribal members into slavery who were willing to go to a place where slavery was better than the life they had.
