Table of Contents
Why did the Spanish start using African slaves?
With the rise of sugar cultivation as an export product in 1810, Spaniards increasingly utilized enslaved African people for labor on commercial plantations.
How were Native American slaves treated?
During times of famine, some Native Americans would also temporarily sell their children to obtain food. The ways in which captives were treated differed widely among Native American groups. Captives could be enslaved for life, killed, or adopted. In some cases, captives were only adopted after a period of slavery.
Why were African slaves important to the Europeans?
Most European colonial economies in the Americas from the 16th through the 19th century were dependent on enslaved African labor for their survival. According to European colonial officials, the abundant land they had “discovered” in the Americas was useless without sufficient labor to exploit it.
Why did Spanish begin importing slaves from Africa to work in the Americas?
To meet the mounting demand for labor in mining and agriculture, the Spanish began to exploit a new labor force: slaves from western Africa. Further, because Africans came from developed agricultural societies, they were already familiar with highly organized tropical agriculture.
How did slavery in Africa differ from slavery in America?
Forms of slavery varied both in Africa and in the New World. In general, slavery in Africa was not heritable—that is, the children of slaves were free—while in the Americas, children of slave mothers were considered born into slavery.
Why did many Native American groups and enslaved?
Why did many Native Americans groups and enslaved people side with the British during the American Revolution? They hoped the British would offer them more freedom after the war. What was the status of slavery in the North following the American Revolution? Slavery persisted in the region, but was weakening.
What factors caused colonists to decide to use African slaves?
These seven factors led to the development of the slave trade:
- The importance of the West Indian colonies.
- The shortage of labour.
- The failure to find alternative sources of labour.
- The legal position.
- Racial attitudes.
- Religious factors.
- Military factors.
What were conquistadors looking for?
The Spanish Conquistadors were some of the first men to travel to the new world. They got their name from being both conquerors and explorers. They were mostly in search of gold and treasure. He was responsible for conquering the Aztec Empire and claiming Mexico for Spain.
Why are the Conquistadors important?
Conquistadors were historically important because they charted much of the interior of the New World and made this knowledge available in Europe.
How did the first settlers view African slaves?
The first American settlers, all of whom were white, regarded African slaves as “savages,” uncivilized heathens from a mysterious continent in which all manner of strange, ungodly practices were carried out. As settlers didn’t accept black Africans as their equals, they had no moral qualms about enslaving them.
How did European colonists justify slavery?
European colonists justified slavery on a number of grounds. Some argued that the institution was openly endorsed in the Bible. The first settlers were staunch Protestants who believed in the inerrancy of Scripture.
How did the Spanish Crown treat the Amerindians in their colonies?
The Spanish Crown intended to protect Amerindians from abuse, but at the same time expected them to accept Spanish rule, embrace Catholicism, and conform to a work regimen designed to render Spain’s overseas colonies profitable.
How did the Spanish treat the natives on Hispaniola?
Columbus landing on Hispaniola on 6 December 1492, greeted by Arawaks, engraving by Theodor De Bry, ca. 1594, courtesy of the Library of Congress. Meanwhile, Spain’s monarchs broadly granted colonists dominion over Amerindian subjects, compelling native populations to pay tribute, often in the form of labor.