From 1619 on, not long after the first settlement, the need for colonial labor ... annually on British ships. 1700s: Almost half of the slaves coming to North America arrive in Charleston.

Around 1750, the British mainland American colonies had ... massive flight of Scots-Irish to the colonies. The majority of white colonists resided in the North, but the majority of black people ...

By the 1860s, Britain was growing tired of maintaining its colonies. The costs, especially of defending British North America, were burdens that a growing number of British politicians could do ...