- Indigenous peoples: Throughout the colonization of the Americas, many Indigenous populations were subjected to forced labor, servitude, and enslavement by European settlers and colonizers. This included communities such as the Native Americans in North America, the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, and the various Indigenous groups in Central and South America.
- Africans: The transatlantic slave trade was one of the most significant instances of forced labor and enslavement in the New World. Millions of Africans were forcibly transported from their homelands in Africa and sold as slaves in the European colonies in the Americas. The enslavement of Africans became integral to the economic development and plantation systems in many regions of the New World.
- Indentured servants: Indentured servitude was another form of forced labor that involved individuals voluntarily agreeing to work for a specific period in exchange for passage to the New World. Many Europeans, especially during the early colonial period, came to the New World as indentured servants. While their status was different from that of enslaved people, they still faced harsh working conditions and limited freedom during their servitude.