Who primarily provided labor in agriculture and mining precious metals during the period of European colonization?

The primary labor force in agriculture and mining precious metals during the period of European colonization consisted primarily of Indigenous Peoples and Africans.

Indigenous Peoples were forcibly employed by European colonizers to work the land and extract resources, as their knowledge of local agriculture and mining practices was crucial to the colonists’ efforts to exploit these new territories. However, as colonization progressed and the demand for labor grew, Europeans increasingly turned to the transatlantic slave trade to supply laborers, particularly from Africa. This transition led to the establishment of a system whereby enslaved Africans worked on plantations and in mines to fuel European economic interests.

This dual reliance on both Indigenous and African labor highlights the complex dynamics of colonization, where Indigenous populations faced displacement and enslavement while enslaved Africans were brought to the Americas to meet labor demands.