Powerpoint on The Transatlantic Slave Trade

A set of QUESTION_AND_ANSWER flashcards covering mercantilism, the rise of Europe, the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and related topics from the lecture notes.

What is mercantilism?

An economic system in which the state seeks to maximize wealth and power by promoting exports, restricting imports, and accumulating precious metals, with strong government involvement in resources and industry.

Cash crops vs. consumer commodities

Cash crops (e.g., tobacco, sugar) are produced for export to generate wealth; consumer commodities are goods produced for sale domestically or for broad markets.

What characterizes the 'New World Economy' discussed in the notes?

A globalized European-led economy arising from the Americas that features mercantilist policies, slave labor, and integrated Atlantic trade networks.

Why did England and France rise on the global stage while Spain faltered?

Mercantilist systems, greater diversification of resources and industry, access to global markets, and more effective imperial trade networks helped England and France grow; Spain overextended and struggled to modernize its economy.

What contributed to the decline of the Spanish Empire?

War, excessive spending, and administrative strain—“war and waste”—that undermined consolidation of its vast territories.

Asia’s role in American silver?

Approximately three-quarters of American silver flowed to China, making Asia a central destination for silver.

Potosí silver significance

A major silver source located in present-day Bolivia that fueled European economies and global trade.

What is meant by 'Labor' being the missing ingredient?

Labor—especially enslaved and coerced labor—was essential to sugar cultivation and plantation economies that profits depended on.

Why were enslaved Africans central to transatlantic sugar cultivation?

The demands of intensive sugar cultivation and industrial agriculture required large, controllable labor forces, driving the transatlantic slave system.

Olaudah Equiano and transatlantic slavery

Equiano’s narrative provides a firsthand account of the brutality of slavery in the Atlantic world and highlights distinctions from slavery in other regions (e.g., the Ottoman Empire).

Rise of race and necropolitics in the Atlantic world

Enslavement and slavery systems helped establish racial categories and political power structures centered on the control of life and death.

Impact of the slave trade on Africa

Massive population loss and disruption of economic productivity and state-building; vast numbers of Africans were exported, with many enslaved people sent to Latin American plantations (about 96% of enslaved Africans in Latin America).

Triangular Trade

A three-way exchange between Europe, Africa, and the Americas: European manufactured goods to Africa, enslaved Africans to the Americas, and raw materials back to Europe.

What does the 1796 William Blake image symbolize in this context?

Illustrates the Triangular Trade and emphasizes Europe’s dependence on Africa and the Americas within the Atlantic trading system.

Big changes of the New World Economy

Globalized networks, European hegemonic power, winners and losers, and significant biological exchanges (Columbian Exchange) shaping economies.

The Reformation’s geopolitical impact

Challenged the authority of the Catholic Church, influenced national state formation, and contributed to political and religious revolutions, including in England.

Portuguese plantation experiments

Early Atlantic experiments with African exploration and plantation systems that helped establish slavery-based agriculture in new colonial setups.

Sugar, Slavery, and the Rise of Europe (summary)

An integrated historical view showing how sugar production and Atlantic slavery propelled European economic growth and shifted global power.