ATLANTIC HISTORY Homework Help

ATLANTIC HISTORY

The Atlantic slave trade refers to the movement of Africans from their place of origin to the New World. The activities involved in the trade included violent capture, mass murder of the people in Africa and tortures. The transportation of slaves was forceful therefore violence was used. The trade took place between the sixteenth and the nineteenth centuries where African slaves got sold to European traders who then moved them to the North and South American colonies (The Mariners Museum, 2002). Columbus’ discovery of the Americas is sometimes stated as the chief act that eventually led to the trade in slaves.
The enslavement of these Africans was very profitable and to an extent if not for the slaves, the potential value of the Americas would have stayed unrealized. Because of the slaves cities were constructed, mines excavated, wildernesses tamed and powerful plantation economies established. A triangular economic route between Europe, Africa and the Americas was formed whereby traders from the European ports took off for Africa’s west coast, traded humans for goods and sailed off to the Americas with the slaves (The Mariners Museum, 2002).
The Africans that had survived the journey from Africa to the Americas were sold in the markets there hence commencing a life of slave labor. The ships then sailed back to Europe carrying goods produced by the subsequent labor of the slaves. A global economy was hence supplied through this triangular trade, European capital, African man power, and American resources (Bailyn, 1967). The number of Africans forcibly transported across the Atlantic is approximated to be more than ten million. Wars in Africa were encouraged by the traders leading to deaths or enslavement of many more Africans who were then shipped off to the Americas. An unimaginable number of Africans got killed or abducted in that period.
Discovery of the Americas
Columbus’ search for India mistakenly brought him to America. This mistake started a new world of discovery and European conquest which led to the devastation of the Native Americans and Africans. A flood of explorers followed after Columbus’ first trip. Columbus found the simple life of the Americas enviable but felt their world lifestyle was not appropriate. The Spanish and the Portuguese were the explorers that set foot in America after Columbus and the Spanish went ahead to colonize the Americas on the principle that pagans could be attacked because of their lack of faith (Bailyn, 1967).
European countries’ inclination was not to expand their own empires but with time they joined the Portuguese and the Spanish in the Americas. Bermuda, Antigua, Monster, Nevis and other islands were conquered by the English in that order. The French had Guadeloupe and Martinique by the year 1625. Other empires that joined in the rush to the Americas included Swedes, the Dutch and Danes. The Americas were an isolated group of people who had managed to stay separate from the people of the Old World. Because of these, they were not accustomed to the diseases and germs of the old world and contracted a lot of diseases when they made contact with the Old World. Their native population got reduced by approximately ninety percent in almost half of a century. The natives got converted from pagans to Christians while their empires got undone gradually in time. The Aztecs, for instance, regarded Herman Cortes as a god that had returned from exile claiming his ancient lands when he landed in America to conquer Mexico.

The Native Population
The Americas population in the pre-Columbus time was made up of several groups. The Pueblo were a group that occupied what are now Northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States. Large stone apartments similar to the adobe structures characterized their living conditions. Chichimeca was another group in the North of today’s Mexico with semi-nomadic peoples. They were hunters and gatherers and lived in very barbaric conditions. The Maya is another group that lived in the Americas at the time Columbus stumbled upon the empire.
The end of the 10th century saw the beginning of the extinction of the Maya due to the changing climate conditions (Elliot, 2007). The Americas was also inhabited by the Toltecs. The Aztec was a group living in Mesoamerica and its surrounding lands that experienced an end to their civilization once the Spanish colonized them. Their capital city was Tenochtitlan and was considered the largest cities known in time. South America was inhabited by the Chavin and Inca. The Chavin were an innovative people who traded a lot and developed agriculture very early in time compared to the other peoples of the Americas.
The Inca lived in the Andes region with their capital city being the great city of Cusco (Elliot, 2007). Their culture was very distinct and highly developed. They built cities with precision, unmatched stonework and over a couple of levels of mountain terrain. They utilized terrace farming in their agricultural practices. Evidence indicating the presence of excellent metal work and even brain surgery has been found regarding the Inca civilization.

Countries involved in the development of the America
Africa, Europe and America were the three major countries that led to the development of present day America. Portugal and Spain played a very big role in this process too. The Europeans’ search for a sea route to the East led them to explore westward. This exploration took place in the late 15th century and led them to the Americas (Abulafia, 2008). The Europeans and the Spaniards both saw the numerous opportunities of wealth offered by the Americas. South and Central America were targeted by the Spaniards and the Portuguese for their abundant Gold and silver.
The Portuguese introduced sugar plantations in Brazil by the 1570s (Abulafia, 2008). Demand for sugar in Europe continued to grow leading to the introduction of sugar plantations in the islands of the West Indies. A large number of the Americas died from the diseases that came with the Europeans and the few remaining were either massacred or enslaved by the colonists. The high demand for labor could not be met by these few remaining people therefore other sources were sought. The Portuguese and Spaniards had previously used enslaved Africans to as labor force in the sugar plantations in islands off the African west coast.
The rich lands of the Americas prompted the transfer of the enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean for labor. The British, French and Dutch followed the Portuguese and Spaniards’ example in their sugar plantations leading to a surge in the demand for African slaves (Elliot, 2007). The three continents interacted in this trade to eventually lead to present day America. The Americans liberated themselves from the British rule in the revolution. After the abolition of the trade in slaves, the Africans transported across the Atlantic Ocean remained in America accounting for the black population there. The Americas and the Europeans related sexually and gave birth to the present day American people.
The colonies in the Atlantic trade and different crops grown
The six major colonies in the Atlantic slave trade were the English, Portuguese, French, Spanish, Danish and the Dutch. These empires operated behind trade barriers producing different plantation produce such as rice, coffee, alcohol and sugar. Some precious metal such as Gold and silver were also included as trade goods. Sugar proved most valuable in the trade therefore was adopted by all the empires in time. The Portuguese and British slave traders were the most dominant therefore British Americas and Brazil received the most Africans (Elliot, 2007).
The Spanish throne got an opportunity for trade and wealth after Columbus’ Caribbean islands’ exploits. The Spanish society then loved to conquer and contended frequently with other empires. The society practiced the culture of expansion. The crown of Castile was a strategic region that Columbus considered appropriate in establishing trading posts where Spaniards would work facilitating transactions with the natives. The Spanish society desired the land of America and went ahead to attack them with the idea that pagans could be attacked based on their lack of faith. In 1493, a large shipment from Spain travelled to Hispaniola, which is currently the country of Dominican Republic and Haiti. After settling, Santa Domingo was chosen as the capital of the land. The Spaniard, through the encomienda system, exploited the Indians for labor. Gold mining was the initial activity they engaged in followed by the growth of sugar. The Spanish then expanded to the north and south and with their superior metal weapons conquered the Incas and the Aztecs.
The Spanish possessions were threatened by the French on the new world. Serious interest in the new world had been prevented by separatist organizations in Holland in the early 17th century (Meltzer, 1993). However, France focused on Florida and attacked it. Soon after, the French pirates began intercepting Spanish ships that entered and exited the Caribbean.
Cyprus and Sicily had adopted complex sugar cultivation before the Portuguese started exploring the coast of Africa. After the Italians took control of the sugar trade, they took the techniques of production, management and trade to the Atlantic islands and later to the Americas. The Portuguese then obtained funding from the Italians and began the production of sugar. The first settlement that the Portuguese established in America was in Sao Vincent in the 1530s. Interest in Brazil arose from the trade in trees between the Brazilians and the French and also the trade in different commodities with the Spanish. This spurred interest in the Portuguese of dominating the region (Solow, 1991).
The British, Dutch and Danish followed suit in colonizing parts of North and South America. The Americas, though, were not good as slaves due to their lack of immunity to diseases of the New World. The British initially focused on trade and exploitation but with the growing need for slaves and the potential economic opportunities found in America, they decided to colonize them.
The start of the trade and the interactions of the different cultures
The origin of the Atlantic slave trade arose mostly from the deficiency in labor force in the new world. The plans for development could not be sufficiently supported by the contemporary European population that was in the Americas. Even criminals sentenced to labor could escape and blend in with the white masses well enough. Native Americans also proved insufficient due to their small number and their lack of immunity to diseases in the New World such as small pox. The Native Americans could also escape without much effort since they knew the land well, they could adjust to the lifestyles required in the adjacent territories and their homes were not too far.
The expansion of sugar production, mining and trade in other commodities increased the need for labor and Africa presented the solution for cheap and abundant labor. The Africans were preferred as slaves due to their immunity to the diseases of the new world. They were also unfamiliar with the territories of the new world hence could not easily escape. Their skin color was also different from the Europeans and the Native Americans therefore they could not blend in with the population after escape. They were also skilled in the disciplines they were used for such as sugar cane growing and mining.
The Portuguese were the first to ship African slaves off to America in order for them to work in the sugar plantations and mines in Brazil (Anstey, 1975). The Dutch then became the dominant suppliers of slaves to the colonies after they conquered South America. Britain went on to become a strong colony due to its superior naval power hence controlling more trade routes (Caryl, 2001). By the end of the 17th century it was clear that Britain dominated the slave trade. The trade thrived in Britain with towns such as Birmingham, Liverpool and London profiting from it.
The interactions between the Portuguese and the Africans were in terms of business and also as slave owners. Their traded in goods and slaves through African brokers on the coast and then sailed off without venturing into the interior. The depopulation that resulted in the diminishing of the slave trade caused inter-tribal fights since the Portuguese opted for slaves from other tribes. This weakened the Africans and strengthened the Europeans therefore facilitating the use of force in obtaining slaves. Since Africans along the west coast mostly dealt with sugar plantations, they provided skilled labor which was needed in the sugar industry in America (Davis, 1973).
The Abolition of the Slave trade
The process taken before the abolition of trade in slaves was a long one requiring change in economies. At the time, the major European countries were shifting their attention from the agricultural sector to the industrial sector. This might be stated as a reason leading to the abolition combined with the fact that slave population was growing therefore threatening the control of the Europeans over them (Northrup, 1994). British scholars however, prefer to attribute the abolition to the virtue of the Europeans and others consider that the 19th century was a time that colonies became less profitable and less important therefore eliminating the need for trade in slaves anymore. The British and the United States governments declared the trade illegal in 1807. A network of treaties established by the British required slave ships to be detained by their naval vessels. The traffic in slave trade gradually declined in the 19th century until eventually all colonies abolished it completely (Anstey, 1975).
The American Revolution
In the last half of the 18th century, thirteen North American colonies joined together and fought to break free from the British Empire. The first opposition came when the colonies rejected to be governed overseas absent of representation (Bailyn, 1967). Provincial Congresses were established in each colony governing them and by 1774 all colonies had one although still within the empire. The American revolutionary war ensued when the British sent combat troops attempting to re-introduce direct rule. The British monarchy was found to have engaged in acts of tyranny therefore the states considered the British to not have the legitimacy in claiming allegiance. Ties between British and the United States were severed in 1776 and the declaration of independence was issued to the United States by the congress. 1781 saw the end of the war followed by a formal abandonment of claims to the United States by the British in 1783 (Bailyn, 1967).
Conclusion
The discovery of the Americas by Columbus opened a door to a lot of activities and opportunities. The Spanish chose to attack the Americas and benefit from their rich lands. The Portuguese, French, Dutch, Danish and the English followed suit once they saw the numerous profit opportunities in the nation.
The need for labor after the introduction of the sugar production led to the slave trade which first started with the slavery of the Americas. They, however, proved unsuitable as slaves due to their few number and lack of immunity to diseases from the New World. The Africans were then used as slaves and got shipped across the Atlantic to the land of America. Eventually in the 19th century the slave trade was abolished. The American Revolution marked the independence of the United States from the British rule. Americans rejected being governed from overseas yet they had no representation which eventually led to the revolutionary war and finally independence.
References:
Abulafia, D. (2008). The Discovery of Mankind: Atlantic Encounters in the Ages of Columbus. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Anstey, R. (1975). The Atlantic Slave Trade and British Abolition, 1760–1810. London: Macmillan.
Bailyn, B. (1967). The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press,
Caryl, P. (2001). The Atlantic Sound. New York: Vintage International.
Davis, R. (1973). The Rise of the Atlantic Economies. New York: Cornell University Press.
Elliot, J. H. (2007). Empires of the Atlantic World: Britain and Spain in America 1492-1830. London: Yale University Press.
Meltzer, M. (1993). Slavery: A World History. New York: Da Capo Press.
Northrup, D. (1994). The Atlantic Slave Trade. Lexington, Mass: D.C. Health.
Solow, B. (ed.). (1991). Slavery and the Rise of the Atlantic System. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
The Mariners Museum. (2002). Captive Passage: The Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Making of the Americas. Washington: Smithsonian Books.