▁led ▁to ▁short ages ▁of ▁food ▁and ▁materials . ▁ ▁Ac ross ▁the ▁western ▁hem is phere , ▁war ▁with ▁various ▁Native ▁American ▁civil izations ▁constit uted ▁al li ances ▁based ▁out ▁of ▁both ▁necessity ▁or ▁economic ▁prosper ity ▁and , ▁resulted ▁in ▁mass - scale ▁inter t rib al ▁war fare . ▁European ▁colon ization ▁in ▁the ▁North ▁American ▁continent ▁also ▁contributed ▁to ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁wars ▁between ▁Native ▁Americans , ▁who ▁fought ▁over ▁which ▁of ▁them ▁should ▁have ▁first ▁access ▁to ▁new ▁technology ▁and ▁weapon ry — like ▁in ▁the ▁Be aver ▁Wars . ▁ ▁Exp lo itation ▁ ▁Some ▁Sp ani ards ▁object ed ▁to ▁the ▁en com i enda ▁system , ▁not ably ▁Bart ol om é ▁de ▁las ▁Cas as , ▁who ▁ins isted ▁that ▁the ▁Indians ▁were ▁humans ▁with ▁sou ls ▁and ▁rights . ▁Due ▁to ▁many ▁revol ts ▁and ▁military ▁enc oun ters , ▁Emperor ▁Charles ▁V ▁helped ▁rel ieve ▁the ▁stra in ▁on ▁both ▁the ▁Indian ▁labor ers ▁and ▁the ▁Spanish ▁v angu ards ▁prob ing ▁the ▁Car ib ana ▁for ▁military ▁and ▁diplom atic ▁purposes . ▁Later ▁on ▁New ▁La ws ▁were ▁prom ul g ated ▁in ▁Spain ▁in ▁ 1 5 4 2 ▁to ▁protect ▁isolated ▁n atives , ▁but ▁the ▁ab uses ▁in ▁the ▁Amer icas ▁were ▁never ▁entirely ▁or ▁perman ently ▁abol ished . ▁The ▁Spanish ▁also ▁employed ▁the ▁pre - Col umb ian ▁draft ▁system ▁called ▁the ▁mit a , ▁and ▁treated ▁their ▁subjects ▁as ▁something ▁between ▁slaves ▁and ▁ser