Final answer:
The artisanal source of labor on European plantations in the New World was primarily slaves from Africa. African slavery became the primary labor system due to its reliability and the racial justification for enslavement provided by Europeans. This system was characterized by harsh conditions and the exploitation of skilled African laborers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The artisanal source of labor used on plantations by Europeans in the New World was primarily slaves. Africans were brought to the Americas and were forced into slavery to work on plantations, particularly for the production of cash crops like sugar and tobacco. The need for a reliable, long-term labor force that could endure the harsh working conditions and resist diseases like malaria and yellow fever made African slaves the preferred choice over other potential labor sources, such as indentured servants, Native Americans, or convicts.
Due to high death rates among indentured servants and the Native American populations, coupled with the vast availability of African slaves and European ideologies that justified slavery on a racial basis, African slavery became central to the New World plantation economy. This not only included the laboring in fields but also involved skilled individuals who were artisans, craftsmen, and linguists. The profitability and efficient organization of the slave trade by Europeans sealed the fate of countless Africans who were brought across the Atlantic to labor in New World colonies.