Why did some colonists enslave native Americans and africans?

Answer 1

Because it was cheap and effective labor, they tried with the native americans but the native americans could not handle the high work load and were susceptible to various diseases, africans on the other hand were more capable of handling the high work load and were less likely to die from certain diseases than native americans. And to those that try to say Africans sold Africans into slavery...you have to remember that africans sold their enemies and not their own kin and moreover Africans did not create the large scale tranatlantic slave trade that led to all those tragedies.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, many of the colonists had been taught that non-Christians and non-whites were inferior; many believed these groups were savages and heathens. They thus believed it was okay to forcibly convert these people to Christianity, which would make them more "civilized." There were also some colonists (including some southern ministers) who believed slavery was acceptable for Africans, since The Bible supposedly stated that people with darker skin were cursed (this was based on a misreading of the story of Noah and his sons, which appears in the Book of Genesis; but nowhere in that story does it say black people are cursed).

In fairness, it should be noted that this was a time when few whites were very educated, so myths and prejudices were a pervasive part of the culture, and the idea that it was cruel to mistreat Natives and enslave blacks was not always accepted. It should be noted that not every colonist agreed with slavery, and some sincerely wanted to peacefully co-exist with the Natives. But the majority view prevailed, and that view permitted both groups to be treated badly. Even the press (today called "the media") rarely questioned what was done to the Native peoples-- newspapers often stressed how the "Indians" were war-like and brutal, and seldom mentioned that perhaps they were angry because American pioneers were arbitrarily taking away their land. And southern newspapers rarely if ever questioned slavery or criticized the harsh treatment slaves received.