Which of the following best explains why Europeans began to enslave Africans rather than the Indigenous people

Question

Europeans believed that when Indigenous people converted to Christianity, they could no longer be enslaved
Indigenous people who had been enslaved often tried to run away or died while enslaved
The Europeans did not successfully conquer the Indigenous people in the Western Hemisphere
Europeans did not think they could control Indigenous people very well

Answer 1

The best explanation for why Europeans began to enslave Africans rather than Indigenous people is:

Indigenous people who had been enslaved often tried to run away or died while enslaved.

This option highlights the challenges Europeans faced in trying to enslave Indigenous populations, including high mortality rates and resistance to enslavement. As a result, Europeans sought a more sustainable labor source, which led them to the transatlantic slave trade involving Africans.