Was the beginnings of African slavery developed in response to the Spanish conquest of the Americas?

Answer 1

The Africans were not enslaved by European countries as a result of the Spanish conquest of the Americas. It started shortly after Columbus arrived, but was a slow process. They needed the Africans because the Indian population was dwindling as a result of the hard labor they had to endure, of which they weren't used to before the conquests took place. They believed that the stronger African peoples were better equipped to handle such chores, so they started enslaving and trading Africans to many different countries who needed the extra hands working on plantations.

Answer 2

No, African slavery predated the Spanish conquest of the Americas. Slavery had been practiced in various African societies for centuries before Europeans began their colonization efforts. The transatlantic slave trade increased in scale and brutality following the Spanish and Portuguese colonization of the Americas, as the demand for labor in the New World grew.