AMSCO US History Topic 1.5 Labor, Slavery, and Caste in the Spanish Colonial System
Learning Objective: Explain how the growth of the Spanish Empire in North America shaped the
development of social and economic structures over time
Spanish dominance in the Americas was based on more than a papal ruling and a treaty. The new empire
began with ambitious and skilled leaders in Ferdinand and Isabella. With its adventurous explorers and
conquerors (called conquistadores) and the labor provided by Indians and enslaved Africans, Spain
rapidly expanded its wealth and power.
Spanish Exploration and Conquest
- Spain had initial supremacy in the Americas
o Vasco Nunez de Balboa and the Pacific Ocean
o Ferdinand Magellan’s circumnavigation of the world
o Hernan Cortez conquering the Aztec Empire
o Francisco Pizarro conquering the Inca Empire
o Conquistadors sent ships loaded with gold and silver back to Spain from Mexico and
Peru
o Gold increase made Spain the most powerful state in Europe
o Influenced other European states to explore and conquer the Americas
- Indian Labor
o Despite disease ravaging populations in the Aztec and Inca empire in Mexico and Peru,
millions survived
o Spain incorporated survivors into their own empire
o Encomienda system
Spain’s king granted natives who lived on a tract of land to individual Spaniards
These Indians were forced to farm or work in the mines
Fruits of their labors would go to the Spanish
In turn, Spanish leadership had to “care” for the Indians
- Enslaved African Labor
o Portugal demonstrated that using enslaved Africans to grow crops on sugar plantations
off the coast of Africa was profitable; providing the model to other Europeans
o Spain’s slave labor system
Native Americans were dying in large numbers from diseases and brutality
In response, Spain began trading with African partners for slave labor
Asiento system – required colonists to pay a tax to the king on each enslaved
person they imported to the Americas
o Large numbers of enslaved Africans were imported to the Americas via the Middle
Passage
More Africans than Europeans crossed the Atlantic during the colonial period
Slave traders sent between 10 and 15 million people from Africa during the
transatlantic slave trade (ended in the 1800s)
Learning Objective: Explain how the growth of the Spanish Empire in North America shaped the
development of social and economic structures over time
Spanish dominance in the Americas was based on more than a papal ruling and a treaty. The new empire
began with ambitious and skilled leaders in Ferdinand and Isabella. With its adventurous explorers and
conquerors (called conquistadores) and the labor provided by Indians and enslaved Africans, Spain
rapidly expanded its wealth and power.
Spanish Exploration and Conquest
- Spain had initial supremacy in the Americas
o Vasco Nunez de Balboa and the Pacific Ocean
o Ferdinand Magellan’s circumnavigation of the world
o Hernan Cortez conquering the Aztec Empire
o Francisco Pizarro conquering the Inca Empire
o Conquistadors sent ships loaded with gold and silver back to Spain from Mexico and
Peru
o Gold increase made Spain the most powerful state in Europe
o Influenced other European states to explore and conquer the Americas
- Indian Labor
o Despite disease ravaging populations in the Aztec and Inca empire in Mexico and Peru,
millions survived
o Spain incorporated survivors into their own empire
o Encomienda system
Spain’s king granted natives who lived on a tract of land to individual Spaniards
These Indians were forced to farm or work in the mines
Fruits of their labors would go to the Spanish
In turn, Spanish leadership had to “care” for the Indians
- Enslaved African Labor
o Portugal demonstrated that using enslaved Africans to grow crops on sugar plantations
off the coast of Africa was profitable; providing the model to other Europeans
o Spain’s slave labor system
Native Americans were dying in large numbers from diseases and brutality
In response, Spain began trading with African partners for slave labor
Asiento system – required colonists to pay a tax to the king on each enslaved
person they imported to the Americas
o Large numbers of enslaved Africans were imported to the Americas via the Middle
Passage
More Africans than Europeans crossed the Atlantic during the colonial period
Slave traders sent between 10 and 15 million people from Africa during the
transatlantic slave trade (ended in the 1800s)
