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Early exploration, colonialism (the Columbus story), mercantilism, and the Atlantic Slave Trade.
What was the pop. pre-contact?
500 000 -2 million dating back 14 000 years
Who first discovered NA and where?
The Vikings first arrived in Newfoundland, created a settlement but left due to hostilities with the local Indigenous.
How do we know who the first explorers are?
L’Anse aux Meadows was found in Newfoundland with metal artifacts (which are not used by Indigenous)
What motivated European Exploration?
Gold, glory, god
What do historians refer to when talking about the 1400’s-1600’s?
The age of exploration
What nation traveled around Africa first?
Portugal
Why did Portugal want to get to Asia/India?
The Spices; spices had to travel very far and became more expensive as it got closer to Europe. They wanted to find a direct route to make country rich (GOLD) which in turn brought pride (GLORY)
How did other countries react to Portugal’s success?
They became jealous, so they started competing to find new routes which would bring GLORY
What did the explores do as they found new routes?
They claimed the land of which the route was on
What brought glory to a country?
Building an empire, winning fights with other nations, new trade routes
What did many Europeans travel around the world with?
A bible to explain the teachings to others
How did exploring spread religion?
Christians met non-christians and forced their religion onto them
What was the doctrine of discovery?
An international law that allows for any explorer to claim vacant land(non-Christian people living on “vacant land”) for their monarch
Who was Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus who was from Italy believed that the world was round and that if he sailed west, he’d eventually get to Asia. He convinced the monarchs of Spain to finance his expedition and arrived in what he thought was India in 1492. Europeans were unaware of the existence of “Indians”; he brought back silver and gold
What did other countries do after hearing about the riches from Columbus?
The set explorers out to find gold
What is Imperialism vs. Colonialism
Imperialism: the ideology of when one country exerts economic and political domination of another country or place. Colonialism: the practice where one country physically exerts complete control over another country
What is the first stage of colonialism?
Reconnaissance: mission for intelligence on military strength, land, resources, and people living there
What is the first stage of colonialism in context to Columbus?
They arrived and he got the impression they were “surrendering their kingdom”. Went back to Spain with some gold.
What is the second stage of colonialism?
Invasion: larger invasion, take possession of land
What is the second stage of colonialism in context to Columbus?
On his voyage back he brought a army to take control as well as scribes and other officials
What is the third stage of colonialism?
Occupation: invaders impose control over Indigenous pop. and establish gov’t
What is the third stage of colonialism in context to Columbus?
The Spanish establish gov’t and requires all Indigenous to bring them gold dust but when they failed their hands were chopped off
What is the fourth stage of colonialism?
Assimilation: effort to assimilate surviving Indigenous pop. (religion may play a role)
What is the first stage of colonialism in context to Columbus?
The gov’t sent army to punish Indigenous. Indigenous were brutally tortured and killed
What is the idea of mercantilism?
This is when the mother country take resources from their colonies → factories (encouraged industrialization) → product goes back to market in colony. The mother country will continue to gain wealth as they pay nothing for the products yet still sell them
Why were slaves needed from Africa to be brought to the Americas?
There was not enough settles to produce to the large scale of raw resources (sugar tabacco, cotton)
Why did African monarchs and merchants supply the slaves?
They viewed slaves as the criminals, prisioners of war, debtors. Kings wanted goods rum and weapons (trade) which strengthened them against other African nations = more slaves. Slaves became a motivation for war
What were the conditions for the slaves on the voyages?
20% died, suicide, overpopulated, abused, no sanitation, dehumanized, starvation
What was the legacy of slavery and colonization in the Americas on Africa future?
lost millions of men = economies collapse → open to colonize, weapons = warfare, Racism = Christians could not enslave other christians, they enslaved Africans who the deemed genetically inferior
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