Question

Which of the following explains one important reason behind Europeans’ decision to rely on Africans, rather than indigenous Americans, for labor on colonial plantations?
A. Africans had more experience living in tropical climates than indigenous Americans.
B. Africans had a more unified language and culture than indigenous Americans.
C. Africans had stronger immunity to European diseases than indigenous Americans.
D. Africans had more education and higher literacy rates than indigenous

Answer 1

The correct answer is C. Africans had a stronger immunity to European diseases than indigenous Americans.

Explanation:

The process colonization of territories in the American continent began at the end of the  15th century and was led by settlers from different European including England, Spain, and Portuguese. Additionally, most settlers did not only conquer new territories but aimed at taking advantages of the sources in them which required a lot of workforces, for example, plantations require multiple and resistant workers. Because of this, few years after colonization took place slavery of Africans became common in the colonized territories, the preference for Africans rather than the native population can be explained as indigenous Americans had not been exposed to smallpox and because of this and other causes, their population began to decrease. Therefore, the statement that explains an important reason behind Europeans' decision to rely on Africans rather than indigenous Americans is " Africans had a stronger immunity to European diseases than indigenous Americans".