Final answer:
Most plantation laborers in the American colonies during the first 50 years were indentured servants from Europe. These workers agreed to work for a certain period of time in exchange for transportation to the colonies. As demand for labor increased, African slaves were eventually used as a more permanent labor source.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the first 50 years in the American colonies, most of the plantation laborers were indentured servants from Europe. Indentured servants were European immigrants who worked for a fixed number of years in exchange for transportation to the colonies. They were different from slaves, as their labor was temporary and they eventually became free. However, as the demand for labor increased, the supply of indentured servants became insufficient, leading to the use of African slaves as a more permanent labor source.