In 3–5 sentences, explain why enslaving the Indigenous peoples of the Americas was largely unsuccessful in filling the need of the plantations. Support your answer by using one piece of qualitative and one piece of quantitative information from Las Casas’s writing
Enslaving the Indigenous peoples of the Americas was largely unsuccessful in filling the need of the plantations due to the high mortality rate among them. According to Las Casas, the Native population declined drastically and rapidly as a result of the violence and oppression they faced under European colonization. Las Casas reports that in just 50 years, the number of natives in Hispaniola went from around 3 million to merely 200 people. This demonstrates the severe impact of enslavement on the Indigenous population. Additionally, Las Casas describes the physical abuse and mistreatment the Indigenous peoples endured, resulting in a high death toll and making their labor unreliable for plantation owners.
