Final answer:
Indians on Haiti faced severe punishment, including mutilation or death, for not providing gold to Columbus. The brutal treatment and spread of diseases like smallpox led to a staggering decline in native populations, which, in turn, spurred the transatlantic slave trade to meet labor demands.
Step-by-step explanation:
The consequences for the Indians on Haiti who did not bring back gold to Columbus were severe and brutal. The Spanish conquistadores, led by Columbus, imposed harsh punishments on the native populations if they failed to meet the gold quotas. Those who did not supply enough gold could face mutilation or death, as the Spaniards were determined to exploit the resources of the New World for their gain.
This exploitation led to widespread violence, enslavement, and a high death rate among the native peoples, particularly from diseases like smallpox to which they had no immunity. The Taíno population of Hispaniola, for example, dramatically dwindled from several hundred thousand at the time of Columbus's arrival in 1492 to just about thirty-two thousand by 1514, due to a combination of Spanish cruelty and disease.
The inhumane treatment of the native populations and the catastrophic decline of their numbers caused by European diseases and violence led to a shift in labor sources. As indigenous populations were not numerous enough to sustain the labor demands of European settlers, particularly in sugar plantations, this led to the growth of the transatlantic slave trade with Africans being transported to the Americas as an alternative labor force.
This had additional devastating effects on the societies from which these enslaved people were taken, perpetuating a cycle of violence and exploitation.