Why did the Spanish bring enslaved people from West Africa to New Spain?(1 point)
Responses
They needed to teach them Christianity in their missions.
They needed to teach them Christianity in their missions.
They had allowed the native peoples to become criollos.
They had allowed the native peoples to become criollos.
They used them as workers on their plantations.
They used them as workers on their plantations.
They wanted people to help them learn how to ranch.
They used them as workers on their plantations.
The correct answer is: They used them as workers on their plantations.
The correct answer is: They used them as workers on their plantations.
To arrive at this answer, we can analyze the historical context and motives behind the Spanish bringing enslaved people from West Africa to New Spain.
During the colonization of the Americas, the Spanish Empire established plantations known as encomiendas in New Spain (present-day Mexico and parts of Central America). These plantations required a significant labor force to cultivate crops such as sugar cane, tobacco, and indigo.
The Spanish initially relied on the indigenous populations of New Spain to work on these plantations. However, due to the devastating impact of European diseases and the mistreatment of the natives, their numbers drastically declined. This created a need for a new labor force.
To address this shortage, the Spanish turned to the transatlantic slave trade, which involved capturing and forcibly transporting enslaved Africans from West Africa to the Americas. By bringing enslaved people from West Africa, the Spanish intended to use them as laborers on their plantations in New Spain.
Therefore, the answer "They used them as workers on their plantations" accurately explains why the Spanish brought enslaved people from West Africa to New Spain.