Question

which of the following represented a change in the labor force of the southern british colonies by the 1700s as depicted in the excerpt?
a slavery became more widespread than indentured servitude.
b the rise of manufacturing led to an increased need for skilled artisans and craftsmen.
c the encomienda was adopted from the spanish to provide native american workers.
d people newly freed from slavery frequently worked on plantations.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option A: By the 1700s in southern British colonies, the demand for labor in plantations (like tobacco, rice) grew. Slavery became more widespread than indentured servitude because enslaved people were a permanent labor source, while indentured servants had a limited term. This matches the labor force change.
• Option B: Southern colonies were agrarian (plantations), not manufacturing - centered. So this is incorrect.
• Option C: Encomienda was a Spanish system in their colonies, not adopted by British colonies for Native American labor (British colonies had different labor systems for Natives, and by 1700s, African slavery was more dominant). So incorrect.
• Option D: Freed slaves were not a major part of plantation labor in the 1700s southern colonies; plantations relied on enslaved people, not freed ones. So incorrect.

Answer:

A. Slavery became more widespread than indentured servitude.