Labor Systems

1
Labor Systems

• The Americas and Africa

2
In the Americas

• Interested in Gold and Silver, if they found
  none, set up plantations
• Mita Incan system where adult males had to spend
  1/7 of their time working for the Inca, a few
  months at a time
• Spanish adopted this system for mines, but so
  many natives died, they kept having to increase
  amount of time worked
• Encomienda Agriculture system granted by Spanish
  crown, natives were placed under encomenderos
  (Spanish bosses) who extracted labor and tribute
• high death rates led to collapse of this system

3
Spanish Class System in the Americas

• Peninsulares born in Europe (On the Iberian
  Peninsula)
• Criollos (Creoles) Born in America to Europeans
• Meztizos Mixed European and Native ancestry
• Mulatos (Mulattos) Mixed European and African
  ancestry

4
West African Kingdoms

• Kongo, Benin, Mali, Songhay
• Muslim influence (Portugal wants to convert)
• Gold and salt trade (to Portugal)
• African Slave Trade
• Women most valuable
• Household servants
• Part of a harem
• Some traded to Portugal (mostly household
  servants)
• Usually prisoners of war or raids

5
Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

• Native Americans died from disease, Europeans
  needed forced labor
• West Africans already knew agriculture, wanted in
  Brazil for sugar and Southern British colonies
  (i.e. Southern US) for rice

6
Triangular Trade

• Africa Guns and manufactured goods for Slaves
• Europe Sugar, Molasses and Rum for Manufactured
  goods and guns
• Slaves from Africa to Americas Middle Passage
• As much as 25 died on march from Central Africa
  to coast, then as many as 20 died in Middle
  Passage
• 9-11 million brought, only about 5 to Southern
  US, Most to Caribbean and Brazil

7
Eastern and Southern Africa

• Traded slaves to the Middle East
• Servants or harem members
• Plantation labor for islands in the Indian Ocean

8
Effects

• More males than females were sold
• Some areas population reduced by 50
• Increased dependency on European goods