Global Commerce

Between 1450 and 1750, commerce is what shaped the world.  Slave trade was a big part of that, but is also just one part of the global commerce in this time period.  Another force that drove globalization in this time period was empire.  Europeans were well-known for their long-distance trade.  They wanted to do business with Asia.  Very rich and diverse commerce was found on the Indian Ocean.  It surprised me that Portuguese carried cannons on their ships.  They couldn't compete because they didn't have very high quality.  their main goal was to control commerce rather than territory.  It also surprised me that they controlled half of Asia's spice trade.  Spain and the Philippines were the first to challenge them with their small and competitive packs.  Even more important than the spice trade, was the silver trade.  It was a big cause for inflation in Spain and supported Japan's booming economy.  Fur trade was big in North America, but did start to go scarce around 1500 and started competition to obtain in.  Native Americans became dependent on European trade goods.  Russians also valued fur, only difference is that they weren't competing for it in Russia.  Capitalism changed the way people looked at economic relationships. Slave trade in Africa is responsible for a lot of the multi-regional linkages. It is also responsible for China and Europe's growth in population.  Slave trade also had a lot to do with global political changes.

Sugar!

Sugar history goes from South Asia to Caribbean.  Sugar is best grown in hot and humid areas, is very labor intensive, produced on a large scale, and requires an initial stage of processing.  At first, sugar was uncommon and rather rare.  It was considered a drug, I assume because it could be addictive and make you have more energy.  The idea hat sugar is a drug is kind of funny because it is so normal and widely used today.  It's as if sugar is a necessity.  I found it interesting that sugar in tea replaced alcohol.  It was also weird that tea took place of meals in general because people either didn't have time or money to eat.  The idea of using tea to replace a meal is very disturbing to me because I don't think tea is very filling at all and I have to eat.  On page 103, there is a chart for Importation and Population Statistics for the British West Indies in the 18th Century.  It shows that as time goes on, the total black population in Barbados, Jamaica, and Leeward Islands  increases, and the Slave imports increases with that. Thankfully, in the 19th century, the correlation between slavery and sugar was discontinued.  Not only did the discrimination decrease, but the intensive labor to obtain sugar decreased as well.  Thanks to technology, there are alternative ways such as mechanized sources to develop sugar and meet the needs of sugar in today's society.

Empires and Encounters 1450-1750

Across the Western Hemisphere are the most significant colonies, the European colonies.  This includes the Spanish, Portuguese, British, French and Dutch.  Russia was an Asian and European territory that participated in the imperial stage of the modern era.  Early Modern Era was the stage of an Empire.  Western Europe was different because they were started by maritime expansion and because they took over countries that resided across the ocean from the main land instead of right next to it.  Europe expanded their territory to cover most of the Americas.  The countries that were on the border was was helped Europe succeed.  They transported goods to and from the Atlantic Ocean.  Along with that, came diseases and people.  This lead to a shortage in labor.  They then brought over their plants and animals, along with new foods too.  These foods were inexpensive and fairly nutritious.  This is also when the slave trade occurred.  There was an economic theory known as mercantilism.  In the location of the Aztecs and Incas is where quite a few cities were started.  These cities had universities, churches, an administrative bureaucracy, and international trade systems.  The society was made up of Spanish and Indian people.  Mediterranean was introduced to sugar by the Arabs.  Sugar transformed a few countries.  the chart on page 14 is what I found very interesting.  Highland Spanish America was made up of 41.7% Native Americans, 11.9% Africans, 28.3% Mixed race, and 18.2% Europeans.  Portuguese America, also known as Brazil, was made up of 9.1% Native Americans, 49.8% Africans, 17.8% mixed race, and 23.4% Europeans.  Britain was the last of the Europeans to settle in the Americas