Why did Europeans see Africans as a better source of labor than Native Americans?
Answer (3)
The Europeans saw Africans as a better source of labor than Native Americans because they were not susceptible to Old World Diseases because they had already been exposed to them. The Native Americans were all dying off because of the new exposure to harmful diseases brought over by the Europeans. The Native Americans also ran away when he Europeans tried to enslave them.
During the early colonial period, Europeans found Africans to be a more suitable source of labor compared to Native Americans for several reasons. First, Africans were less familiar with the New World's terrain, making it difficult for them to escape and successfully elude recapture. Furthermore, Africans had developed a relative immunity to European diseases, which decimated Native American populations, and they did not die from these diseases at the same rates as Indigenous people.
Indigenous labor was insufficient due to high mortality from diseases brought by Europeans. Additionally, indentured European servants faced high death rates in tropical climates, making African slavery appear more sustainable to Europeans. This was exacerbated by legal and social mechanisms that made enslaved Africans appear ideal for lifelong servitude in the eyes of colonists.
Over time, European colonizers relied increasingly on African slaves who were often sold by West African kingdoms, leading to a system of racially based slavery. Africans were viewed as physically hardy and capable of enduring the labor-intensive exploitation of the New World's resources. This led to the institutionalization of slavery in the Americas, a practice which became embedded in the economic and social fabric of colonial societies.
Europeans preferred African labor over Native Americans due to Africans being less familiar with their new environment, having greater immunity to European diseases, and being available for lifelong labor. These factors made African slaves more advantageous for the demanding labor of plantations. Racial justifications also played a critical role in institutionalizing this form of labor exploitation.
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