Answer to Question #275995 in History for Kelsey Jand

Question

Question: How were native people treated in Portugal? 

*Please identify specific laws, events of importance, etc.

Important: In-text citation needed (MLA format)

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Answer 1

The Europeans took advantage of the cultural differences among the Indian peoples to pit one against the other and to form alliances that provided auxiliary troops in their colonial wars.

Portugal viewed the Indians as slave labor from the outset. When Portugal began its imperial ventures, it had a population of about 1 million. Indeed, in the mid-sixteenth century Portugal's population was so sparse that much of its territory was uncultivated and abandoned. African and native Brazilian slaves were common on the streets of Lisbon. Portugal's colonial economy in Brazil was based on slavery. Initially, the Portuguese bartered with the natives to bring brazil wood and other forest items to the coast.