Latin American History Commons^™

A Peculiar Institution: What Brought African Slavery To The Spanish Colonial World And How Did It Evolve?, Paige Langley

Undergraduate Research Journal

Slavery was a bedrock component in the development of the New World. While slavery did not begin in the Western Hemisphere, it most definitely grew, developed, and evolved within it. Before the Spanish set out to colonize the New World, they had already been participating in the practice of slavery, particularly race-based slavery. Upon discovering and colonizing the West, the Spanish may have viewed the initial source of unfree labor as those indigenous populations of the areas they conquered. However, the expansion of Atlantic trade and the precious commodity of African slaves would soon be introduced to the Spanish colonial …