Final answer:
Indentured servants were replaced by slaves due to the temporary nature of their service, the high cost, and mortality rate among Europeans, alongside a colonial preference for a stable, lifetime labor force that they thought Africans could provide.
Step-by-step explanation:
The replacement of indentured servants by slaves in the late 1600s occurred for several strategic and economic reasons. Initially, indentured servants, who worked under a contract for a set number of years, were a primary source of labor in English colonies. However, indenture had its drawbacks, such as a high upfront cost, the high mortality rate of servants, the temporary nature of their service, and the eventual loss of skilled labor when their contracts expired. By contrast, slaves could be enslaved for life, thus providing colonists with a more stable and long-term labor force. The high death rates from disease among Europeans in the colonies, and restrictions introduced in French colonies that lessened the attractiveness of indentured servants, further bolstered the shift towards slavery. Additionally, European colonists perceived Africans as being better suited to intense labor and subjugation, which culminated in a labor pattern shift toward slavery.