The character of Jim the slave adds a certain local color to Twain's portrayal of life in the antebellum South. Slavery was an intrinsic part of Southern society and so it would've been impossible to write about this part of the world at that time without referring in some way to what was euphemistically described as "the peculiar institution."
That said, Jim's not a very important character in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. It's only later on, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, that he'll become much more substantial. But for now, he's little more than a crude stereotype of African Americans that was all too common at the time: ignorant, superstitious, and gullible. This makes him an easy mark for Tom Sawyer's mischief.
In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Jim is the young slave of Tom’s Aunt Polly, the woman who serves as his guardian.
Jim’s role in this novel is brief, especially compared to Twain’s subsequent novel about Huckleberry Finn. In his appearances in this novel, Jim is depicted as a gullible young man on whom Tom is always trying to play tricks. Tom finds enjoyment in torturing Jim, which shows that he is more than just mischievous: Tom is also a bit callous.
Now, the second part of your question has no definitive answer. I suppose that Twain includes Jim in the narrative because slavery was a reality in Missouri at the time in which the novel was written. Twain’s writing style is characterized by its realism and regionalism. He incorporates dialect and cultural realities in order to paint an accurate picture of St. Petersburg. Twain wouldn’t purposefully omit the reality of slavery because that would be falsifying the truth. It also allows Twain to address issues of race in small town America.
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