S.S Quiz Encominda system and Triangle Trade

We know that once Europeans “discover” the Americas, they establish colonies. But what are colonies, anyway?

Land that is under the control of another country/ government

Who benefits from colonies? And what were the names of the countries who benefited?

The “mother” countries. They get the resources. These included Spain, Portugal, England (we all know where that ends up going), France (OH CANADA!) and the Netherlands.

What’s a conquistador?

A conqueror.

A famous Spanish conquistador was Hernán Cortes. What are some things to note about his background?

• Was alive when the reconquista and inquistion brought political and religious unity to Spain

• He believed this made Spain a better place

• At 19 he left Spain to go to the new world

• Was very adventurous, mischievous, and ambitious, seeking wealth and glory.

What was the Aztec Empire like before Cortes arrived?

It was a massive and civilized society.

What advantages did the Spanish have over the Aztec (when talking about the native population?)

• Spanish:

• Steel

• guns

• horses

• disease

• Aztec:

• Club

• Dagger

• wood based weapons

How did colonies spread so quickly throughout the Americas? (Use the cycle of conquistadors)

1. Find new region

2. Send an expedition out to new region

3. Find out which native group is the most powerful

4. Take over leadership (kidnap/ threaten to kill/ kill the leader)

5. If fighting happens, fight on open ground

6. The leader of the expedition becomes the governor of the new colony, second in command goes out deeper in the region and repeats the process.

Colonizers created new institutions to entice citizens to leave their mother country and travel to the “New World”. This included Spain’s Encomienda System. What was it?

1. Spanish colonist give plots of land to people if they move to the Americas

2. Spanish colonist are “given” indigenous people to work the land and provide labor in exchange for the colonists converting them to Christianity

What was The “Requirement”?

The "Requirement" was a document written by Catholic Spanish higher-ups and read by Spanish conquistadors to indigenous peoples in the Americas (but it was often read in Latin, which the native people obviously didn’t understand, or read from a boat to an empty beach in some cases). It wanted the native people to recognize that the Pope and Spanish rulers were the supreme power and rulers of the world (asking for consent). It also said that if the natives converted to Christianity, they were going to treat them nicely and everything was going to be peachy. But if they didn’t, the Spanish would start war, enslave and/or kill them and that its all the native people’s fault. It was used to justify the colonization and subjugation of native populations.

Spain’s Caste system: (Casta System)

• Top: Peninsulares (Spainards born in Spain)

• Creoles (People born in New Spain and to Spanish Parents)

• Mestizos (people born of Spanish+ Native American Indian parents)

• Native American Indians

• Bottom: Enslaved People (Brought over from Africa+ the Caribbean)

What attributes are the colonizing nations (Mother countries) CONSCIOUSLY using to create inequitable political, legal, economic, and social institutions and why?

They chose to divide people based on ethnicity/ “race” and religion. They did this because it was something people couldn’t really change and it benefited the colonizers.

How long has slavery as a practice existed? What is its purpose?

It has existed from the time of farming, so around 12,000 years. It’s purpose is for free/cheap labor.

Who, historically, had been enslaved?

1. P.O.W (Prisoners of War)

2. People who have committed a crime

3. Debtors (temporary until paid)

4. Historically, slavery was often a temporary status and was NOT HEREDITARY.

Why did European colonists feel the need for slave labor?

MONEY! They wanted to sell (export) more than they were buying (import). They could make money quicker with free labor, and the colonies would produce more raw materials with enslaved people.

Why was the Europeans’s plan to enslave the native population of the Americas unsuccessful?

1. Millions of Native Americans died from disease and conquest

2. The native people often escaped (They knew the land way better)

3. Once the native people converted to Christianity, they could no longer be subjected to enslavement

Why did it make sense for European colonizers to turn to West Africa for a source of slave labor AND what were they using to trade?

1. West Africa already had a thriving slave trade (remember Prince Henry)

2. The Europeans traded with guns and finished products (clothing + rum)

Why did African kings feel little obligation/ loyalty to the enslaved people they were selling to the Europeans?

They viewed the people they were selling as criminals, debtors, or prisoners of war, NOT as fellow Africans.

Why did the slave trade become an “arms” race for West African kingdoms?

1. African kingdoms wanted guns and the Europeans wanted more slaves.

2. African kingdoms go to war with other places with these guns they got by selling slaves to meet the European’s demand for slaves

3. Places that are being attacked needed guns to protect themselves, leading them to also sell slaves for guns

4. Cycle continues

What was traded in each part of the map?

1. (Europe 2 Africa) Guns, clothing, rum -finished products-

2. (Africa to Americas) Middle passage. Enslaved people.

3. (Americas to Europe) Raw materials such as sugar, tobacco, and cotton.

What were some impacts of the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade on Africa?

Africa lost tens of millions of its people and was torn apart by warfare, leaving it open to European colonization. Africa had no income and no economy and kingdoms fell.