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. (4 points)
Enslaving the Indigenous peoples of the Americas was largely unsuccessful in filling the need of the plantations due to high mortality rates among the Indigenous population. According to Las Casas, the Indigenous peoples were subjected to brutal work conditions and mistreatment, resulting in many deaths. Additionally, Las Casas mentions that introducing African slaves was considered as a solution to the decline of the Indigenous population, indicating that the enslavement of Indigenous peoples alone was not meeting the plantation demand. Quantitative data from Las Casas's writing shows that within a span of 40 years, the Indigenous population in Hispaniola declined from three million to just 200 individuals, highlighting the devastating impact of enslavement on their survival.
