How important were slavery and the appropriation of lands from native americans to U.S. development?

Economic growth depends importantly on investment. Income is divided between consumption and saving for investment. A relatively small shift in the division of income can make a big difference in the rate of investment. Thus, a shift of five percent of income from consumption to savings might increase investment from ten percent of income to 15 percent of income. The expropriation of land and natural resources from native Americans over centuries surely increased the income of the dominant classes in colonial America and the first century of the United States. The expropriation of the fruits of the labor of slaves kept their consumption low, allowing more savings and investment. So too, the expropriation of the fruits of the labor of poor immigrants could lead to their lower consumption and more savings.

The miracle of compound growth should be taken into account. An increase in the average rate of growth of GDP from one to two percent over 200 years means that the economy grows by a factor of 52.5 rather than a factor of 7.3. My parents came to this country long after slavery and the expropriation of Indian lands had ended, but like all Americans of my generation I am the beneficiary of the evil that was done by the American forefathers.