Final answer:
African slavery was introduced to the Americas for economic reasons due to the need for labor to develop the extensive plantation system, with Africans provided through the Trans-Atlantic slave trade being preferred over indentured servants and Native Americans.
Step-by-step explanation:
African slavery was introduced to the Americas primarily for economic reasons and the high demand for labor; therefore, the correct answer is a) Economic reasons and the demand for labor. The colonization of the New World led to a significant need for a workforce to cultivate cash crops such as sugar, coffee, rice, and cotton on large plantations. Initially, both indentured servants and Native Americans were used, but as plantations grew, an ever-increasing and more permanent labor force was needed.
Indentured servants, who worked for a fixed term, could eventually gain their freedom, reducing the permanent labor pool. Native populations suffered drastic declines due to diseases brought by Europeans and were also less suitable for the Europeans' labor demands due to various factors including resistance to enslavement and escape to familiar territories. In contrast, Africans, acquired and traded via the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, provided a more reliable form of labor. They were forcibly kept under control through physical, mental, and sexual violence and were familiar with the agricultural practices needed for plantation work.
The introduction of slavery had a transformative effect on the economy of the Americas. The large-scale agricultural production of cash crops shaped the economic landscape, leading to a reliance on slave labor which lasted for centuries. Europeans rationalized the enslavement of Africans by viewing them as non-Christians, which they considered a justification for their brutal treatment.