▁due ▁to ▁the ▁efforts ▁of ▁John ▁Rol fe ▁in ▁ 1 6 1 1 . ▁ ▁Once ▁it ▁became ▁clear ▁that ▁to b acco ▁was ▁going ▁to ▁drive ▁the ▁Jam est own ▁economy , ▁more ▁workers ▁were ▁needed ▁for ▁the ▁labor - int ensive ▁c rop . ▁The ▁British ▁arist ocracy ▁also ▁needed ▁to ▁find ▁a ▁labor ▁force ▁to ▁work ▁on ▁its ▁sugar ▁plant ations ▁in ▁the ▁Amer icas . ▁The ▁major ▁sources ▁were ▁indent ured ▁servants ▁from ▁Britain , ▁Native ▁Americans , ▁and ▁West ▁Afr icans . ▁ ▁During ▁this ▁period , ▁Barb ados ▁became ▁an ▁English ▁Col ony ▁in ▁ 1 6 2 4 ▁and ▁the ▁Car ib bean ' s ▁J ama ica ▁in ▁ 1 6 5 5 . ▁ ▁These ▁and ▁other ▁Car ib bean ▁colon ies ▁became ▁the ▁center ▁of ▁wealth ▁generated ▁from ▁sugar ▁can e ▁and ▁the ▁focus ▁of ▁the ▁slave ▁trade ▁for ▁the ▁growing ▁English ▁emp ire . ▁ ▁The ▁English ▁ent ert ained ▁two ▁lines ▁of ▁thought ▁simultaneously ▁toward ▁the ▁ind igen ous ▁Native ▁Americans . ▁Because ▁these ▁people ▁were ▁l ighter - sk inned , ▁they ▁were ▁seen ▁as ▁more ▁European ▁and ▁therefore ▁as ▁candidates ▁for ▁civil ization . ▁At ▁the ▁same ▁time , ▁because ▁they ▁were ▁occup ying ▁the ▁land ▁desired ▁by ▁the ▁colonial ▁powers , ▁they ▁were ▁from ▁the ▁beginning , ▁targets ▁of ▁potential ▁military ▁attack . ▁ ▁At ▁first , ▁indent ured ▁servants ▁were ▁used ▁as ▁the ▁needed ▁labor . ▁These ▁servants ▁provided ▁up ▁to ▁seven ▁years ▁of ▁service ▁in