1.1: The Atlantic World
Read chapter 30 on pages 517-564. This textbook will provide you with a general historical overview of time periods that we will address in this course. It is organized chronologically and geographically. Each chapter offers a brief summary of the major historical events and trends that occurred throughout the world over the course of a 100-year period. Our first reading will cover the 16th century (1501-1600). We will examine the impact of European trade and colonization efforts on the peoples of Asia and the Americas.
Read Chapter 9 (pp. 320-324). This offers a brief overview of the global networks of exchange developed by Spanish, Portuguese, and later Dutch and English merchants in the 17th century. As you read the section, pay attention to the role of religion, politics, and commerce in global exploration and settlement.
1.1.1: European Colonization
Read this article, which offers a brief overview of the European exploration and settlement efforts in America.
1.1.2: The Slave Trade and the Expanding Atlantic Economy
Listen to this lecture. In this lecture, a professor in the History Department of Arizona State University compares the views and practices of 17th and 18th-century Spanish and Portuguese slaveholders with those of Northern European colonists from the same era. Much of the lecture focuses on the origins and development of the slaveholding system instituted by Spanish and Portuguese colonists during these centuries. As you listen to the lecture, consider how the Spanish slaveholding system differed from slaveholding systems developed by Northern Europeans.
- Pre-Colonial Africa: Society, Polity, Culture
- Slave Ships and the Atlantic Crossing (Middle Passage)
- New World Agriculture and Plantation Labor
Examine photographs from the three collections listed above. As you examine the historical images, compare how European and American artists depicted the working and living conditions of Africans before and after they became slaves. How are they similar? How are they different?
1.1.3: Demographic Shifts and Settlement Patterns
Read this short article, which compares settlement patterns in Spanish, French, and British colonies in the Americas. The article also compares the economies of the three ethnic regions and discusses how economic factors influenced settlement patterns. As you read, pay close attention to the impact of European settlement on Native American inhabitants.
1.1.4: Spain and Portugal's Global Connections
Read this article. As you read, consider how the empire established economic and cultural bonds between Asia, Africa, and the Americas. This short history of the Portuguese Empire focuses on the origins of the global empire in the 16th century and its maturation during the 17th century. The article discusses the shift from Asian to Atlantic trade during the late 16th century due to competition from Northern European trade companies.