Everyone has something they feel makes their life easier, something that a person gets so used to that they can't live without it. This is what African slaves represented to Southern settlers. Slavery was a major factor in the lives of Southerners. Colonists originally used indentured servants to work in their homes and on their plantations. This situation was not ideal because Southern farmers wanted more control over their workers (orange). Virginia farmers heard about the success of slavery in the Caribbean and thought it would be a good solution to their problems (blue). Settlers in the South had a very different way of making a living than in the North. They needed people to face “the harsh reality of a land-rich, labor-scarce economy…” (Viola). Plantation owners had all the land and resources, but no one to work on their land long-term. During the years 1607-1775, slavery became a major contributor to the Southern economy due to social, geographic, and economic aspects. Slavery affected the social structure of the South because the Southern elite liked to be at the top of the ranks. Although slavery was originally started for economic reasons, the social components related to slavery soon became important to Southern (red) settlers. At the top of these rankings were the land and slave owners, then came the poor farmers, and then the slaves at the bottom. Virginians had a specific attitude towards others based on skin color and the number of slaves a person had (pink). In general, the amount of slaves an owner owned established his position and power, measured his wealth, and marked his status. Plantation owners with the most land and slaves held the most power in the center of the card (pink). Plantation owners needed slaves to maintain their lands, without which they would receive no profit. Fears of slave revolts and the growing stigma attached to African Americans only fueled Southerners. Southern settlers wanted an economic solution that would benefit their specific geographic needs; Slavery also became a way to increase a Southern settler's social standing, as well as his income. Slavery satisfied all of the Southerner's needs and was introduced at a time when those needs were at their peak. Slavery increased exponentially until long after Thomas Jefferson wrote the words, “All men are created equal.” It lasted as long as it did because it worked well in the South. Slavery became so popular because Southerners looked past the cruelty and saw that they could benefit greatly anyway from purchasing slaves to work their lands...