Spain Builds an Economy on Forced Labor
Spain Builds an Economy on Forced Labor is a Grade 7 history skill from California myWorld Interactive, Chapter 9: Global Convergence. Students learn how the Spanish encomienda system granted colonists control over Native Americans for mine and plantation labor, and how the resulting catastrophic population decline led to the increased importation of enslaved Africans.
Key Concepts
Spain’s main goal in the Americas was to increase its wealth. Colonists extracted vast amounts of gold and silver from mines and established large plantations to grow cash crops.
To provide labor for these operations, the Spanish created the encomienda system . This system granted colonists control over Native Americans, forcing them to work in mines and on farms under harsh conditions.
Common Questions
How did Spain build an economy on forced labor?
Spain created the encomienda system, granting colonists control over Native Americans to work in mines and on plantations. As disease devastated indigenous populations, Spain increasingly relied on enslaved Africans for labor.
What was the encomienda system?
The encomienda system was a Spanish colonial labor system that granted colonists control over Native American workers. Colonists were supposed to protect and Christianize workers, but in practice it was a system of brutal forced labor.
What happened to Native Americans under the encomienda system?
Under the encomienda system, Native Americans were forced to work in brutal conditions in mines and on plantations. Combined with European diseases, this led to catastrophic population collapse among indigenous peoples.
What chapter in myWorld Interactive Grade 7 covers Spain's forced labor economy?
Chapter 9: Global Convergence in California myWorld Interactive Grade 7 covers how Spain built an economy on forced labor.
Why did Spain import enslaved Africans to its colonies?
When European diseases and brutal labor conditions decimated Native American populations, Spanish colonists needed new labor sources. They increasingly imported enslaved Africans to work in mines and on sugar and other plantations.