AP U.S. History Flashcards: Labor, Slavery, and Caste in the Spanish Colonial System
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 10 cards to help you master important concepts.
How did the Spanish source enslaved labor from Africa?
European traders partnered with some West African groups to forcibly extract enslaved laborers, whom the Spanish then imported to the Americas.
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How did the Spanish source enslaved labor from Africa?
European traders partnered with some West African groups to forcibly extract enslaved laborers, whom the Spanish then imported to the Americas.
What was the Spanish caste system?
A system developed by the Spanish that incorporated, and carefully defined the status of, the diverse population of Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans in their empire.
Besides the encomienda system, what other major labor system did the Spanish use for plantation agriculture and mining?
The Spanish also imported enslaved Africans to labor in plantation agriculture and mining.
What were the primary uses for enslaved African labor in the Spanish colonies?
The Spanish imported enslaved Africans primarily to labor in plantation agriculture and mining.
What was the purpose of the Spanish caste system in their diverse empire?
Its purpose was to carefully define the status of the different populations of Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans within the empire.
A person's legal rights and social standing in a Spanish colony are determined by their specific mix of European, African, and Native American ancestry. What is this an example of?
This is an application of the Spanish caste system, which defined status based on the empire's diverse population.
How did the expansion of the Spanish Empire affect its social and economic structures?
The growth of the empire shaped the development of its social and economic structures, such as the caste system and labor systems like the encomienda.
A Spanish colonist uses coerced Native American labor to operate a silver mine. Which labor system is being utilized?
This is an example of the encomienda system, which was used to extract precious metals and other resources.
What two key economic activities were supported by Native American labor under the encomienda system?
Native American labor supported plantation-based agriculture and the extraction of precious metals and other resources.
What was the encomienda system?
A system where Spanish colonial economies marshaled Native American labor to support plantation-based agriculture and extract precious metals and other resources.