African slaves first arrived in the US chained in boats as part of the transatlantic slave trade. They were brought and sold to farmers in Virginia, Maryland, and the Carolinas, where they worked in cotton fields under harsh conditions on plantations. While free African Americans in the North had some rights, slavery was legal in the South and slaves faced beatings and death if they did not obey their masters. Over time, African Americans assimilated into society, though it took some struggle and they continued fighting for equal rights. Their forced labor was integral to the development of the early US economy, especially through cotton production.