Everyone has something that makes their life easier, something that a person becomes so accustomed to that they couldn't live without it. This is what African slaves were to the colonists of the South. Slavery was a significant factor in the lives of Southerners. Originally, settlers 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). The settlers in the South had a very different way of making a living than in the North. They needed personnel to face “the harsh realities of an economy rich in land, but where labor is scarce…” (Violet). The plantation owners owned all the land and resources, but no one to work their land long term. Throughout the years 1607-1775, slavery became a significant contributor to the Southern economy due to social, geographic, and economic aspects. Slavery affected the social structure of the South because the Southern elite valued being at the top of the ranks. Although slavery was originally created for economic reasons, the social components of slavery quickly became important to settlers in the (red) South. Land and slave owners were at the top of these ranks, followed by poor farmers, and then slaves at the bottom. Virginians had a specific attitude toward others based on skin color and the number of slaves a person owned (pink). Generally, the number of slaves owned by an owner established his position and power, measured his wealth, and marked his status. Plantation owners with the most land and slaves held the most power middle of paper......(pink). Plantation owners needed slaves to maintain their land, without whom they would receive no profit. Fears of slave revolts and the growing stigma attached to African Americans only fueled southerners. Southern settlers wanted an economical solution that met their specific geographic needs; Slavery also became a means of elevating a Southern settler's social status, as well as their income. Slavery met all the needs of Southerners and was introduced at a time when those needs were at their peak. Slavery grew exponentially until Thomas Jefferson wrote the words, “All men are created equal.” It lasted this long because of the way it worked in the South. Slavery became so popular because southerners ignored the cruelty and understood that they could greatly benefit from purchasing slaves to work their lands..