How did the arrival of enslaved Africans transform the demographic landscape of the colonies?

The arrival of enslaved Africans significantly established a racially-based slavery system in the colonies. With the transatlantic slave trade bringing large numbers of Africans to North America, colonial economies, particularly in the South, increasingly relied on slave labor for the production of cash crops like tobacco and cotton. This led to the codification of racial laws and social hierarchies that specifically defined and institutionalized slavery based on race. The enslaved population became a distinct and subjugated class, fundamentally shaping societal structures, labor systems, and cultural interactions within the colonies. These developments laid the groundwork for enduring racial divisions and inequalities that persisted long after the colonial period.