1600s (early): During the first decades of the seventeenth century, sugar plantations in northeastern Brazil continued to rely primarily on the labor of ensl…

1600s (early): During the first decades of the seventeenth century, sugar plantations in northeastern Brazil continued to rely primarily on the labor of enslaved Amerindians. The transition to a predominantly African labor force was gradual and driven by the catastrophic decline of indigenous populations due to disease and overwork. Colonists increasingly argued that the labor of one African was worth that of several Indians, reinforcing the demand for the transatlantic trade. Humanitarians of the era, such as Bartolomé de Las Casas, ironically called for more African captives as a means to alleviate the oppression of the native populations.