Written in 9th grade writing and work Forced to work on American plantations, many Indigenous people got sick and died from diseases brought by the Europeans, like smallpox. This meant that enslaving them wasn't a good way to get the work done on the plantations. Las Casas said that in a mining town in Hispaniola, only 200 out of 6000 native people were still alive after a few months. Furthermore, Las Casas said that the Native people were not good at the hard work needed on the plantations. He said they were strong, but would get tired quickly.

Question

Written in 9th grade writing and work Forced to work on American plantations, many Indigenous people got sick and died from diseases brought by the Europeans, like smallpox. This meant that enslaving them wasn't a good way to get the work done on the plantations. Las Casas said that in a mining town in Hispaniola, only 200 out of 6000 native people were still alive after a few months. Furthermore, Las Casas said that the Native people were not good at the hard work needed on the plantations. He said they were strong, but would get tired quickly.

Answer 1

They were not used to the heavy physical labor required to work on the plantations. Many of the Indigenous people were also not familiar with the crops being grown, which made it difficult for them to be productive workers.

In addition to the physical challenges, the Indigenous people also faced mental and emotional hardships. They were taken from their homes and forced to work in unfamiliar and harsh conditions. This led to feelings of sadness, anger, and despair among the Indigenous people.

Overall, enslaving Indigenous people to work on plantations was not only inhumane, but also ineffective. The high mortality rates and lack of productivity made it clear that this system was not sustainable. It is important to remember the history of Indigenous enslavement and work towards a more just and equitable future for all people.