"American slaves were (at the time) a small minority of the country" 11% is a minority. It is not a small minority. Slaves were also a majority in Mississippi

"American slaves were (at the time) a small minority of the country" 11% is a minority. It is not a small minority. Slaves were also a majority in Mississippi and South Carolina. http://thomaslegion.net/statesandslaverypercentagesintheunitedstatesin1860census.html http://thomaslegion.net/statesandslaverypercentagesintheunit... . Your start date of 1776 is irrelevant. Colonial America also had a slave class, starting in the 1600s, which the US inherited.