Chapter 20
The Atlantic World
Global Travels
• 1500 Amerigo Vespucci sails the coast of
South America and claims this is a “New
World” and not part of Asia.
• These new continents
are named the “Americas”
in honor of Vespucci
The Spanish
• Conquistadors- Spanish
explorers and conquerors
– In search of wealth and Land
• Hernando Cortez- Conquers
the Aztecs
• Francisco PizzarroConquers the Inca
– Diseases play a huge role in
these battles
North America
• French
– They want to make money from the American
and Canadian territories, not colonize
– Build strong fur trade
– 1673 Jesuit priestsJacques Marquette &
Louis Joliet
explore The Great Lakes
North America
• British
– 1607 Jamestown is founded
• 100 settlers / majority men
• First English settlement in the state of Virginia
• Disaster- massive hunger and war with Natives
North America
• British
– Pilgrims and Puritans begin to Arrive in
America in search of religious freedom.
• Come as families
North America
• The Dutch
– First settlement: New Netherlands – (New York)
North American Relations
• Dutch & French share a mutual respect for
the fur trade.
– Maintain relations with Native Americans
• English fight with Natives over land rights
– See natives as Godless heathens
Struggle for North America
• The Caribbean
– The Dutch and English race for settlements,
• Island prove very profitable for planting sugar and
cotton.
• High labor demand
Struggle for North America
• 1754 French & Indian War
– French and English fight for expanding
territories
– French lose war and all North America
territories.
Struggle for North America
• Disease decimates native population
– Small pox, measles, etc.
– Creates major labor shortage
Europeans in Africa
• 1400’s- Portuguese begin African
exploration and open up trade between
Africa and Europe
– Early trade centered around ivory and gold
– Interest in African slaves grew with the
colonization of the Americas and the
destruction of the Native American population
The Trans –Atlantic Slave trade
The Trans –Atlantic Slave trade
• The buying and selling of Africans for work
in the Americas was part of a system of
Triangular trade
– Americas provided
raw materials
The Trans –Atlantic Slave trade
• The buying and selling of Africans for work
in the Americas was part of a system of
Triangular trade
– Europe provided
manufactured goods
The Trans –Atlantic Slave trade
• The buying and selling of Africans for work
in the Americas was part of a system of
Triangular trade.
– Africa provided
slaves (labor)
– Costal African
leaders helped
capture slaves
The Trans –Atlantic Slave trade
• Middle passage – middle leg of the
Transatlantic trade triangle that brought
captured African to the Americas
– 20% of the Africans on each ship died during
the trip
Impact of Slavery
• Impact on Africa
– Depopulation
– Families torn apart
• Impact on the Americas
– Labor and farming
expertise
– African Culture
– Demographic changes in
population
Global Trade
• Columbian Exchange- the global transfer
of foods, plants , and animals during the
colonization of the Americas
Global Trade
• Capitalism- an economic system based
on private ownership and the investment
of resources, such as money , for profit
• Joint-Stock Company- investors buying
shares of stock in a company or venture
(colonization). Investors share all profits.
Global Trade
• Mercantilism- a country's power depended
mainly on it wealth.
Wealth = Power