Question

why did spanish plantation owners in the west indies begin using enslaved africans instead of enslaved natives? plantation owners could trade food and clothing for enslaved people. european diseases had killed much of the native workforce. plantation owners wanted to help enslaved africans pay their debts. africans would only sell enslaved people to plantation owners.

Explanation:

When Europeans arrived in the Americas, they brought diseases like small - pox to which native populations had no immunity. Many natives died from these diseases, reducing the native workforce available for plantation labor. As a result, Spanish plantation owners in the West Indies turned to enslaved Africans as a new labor source.

Answer:

European diseases had killed much of the native workforce.