Milestone Two
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7-1 Final Project
Alexandra Cortes
HIS-118: World Civilizations from 1500
10/15/2023
2
Through the exploration of the world’s oceans, there was a shift from an ancient to
modern society. By Europeans gaining knowledge of the world’s regions through exploration by
creating as well as borrowing new technology, they were able to gain a greater understanding of
the world’s oceans and help their cause of globalization. Various European explorers traveled
across the world on ships to expand their grasp onto different societies. Forces such as economic,
religious, and political motivated Europeans to reach new lands. Europeans were able to
establish new trade routes, such as the Colombian Exchange to exchange plants, animals, and
food crops. The Triangular Trade, with the Colombian Exchange, dealt with the trade of human
populations. Unbeknownst at the time just how great these trades would have devastated as well
as have transformative effects on world populations. Globalization impacted the development of
states from 1500 to the present because of the creation of links between all lands and people
through exploration and epidemic diseases brought on through trade by Europeans that impacted
the Americas and Africa.
Social and Philosophical Forces
As Christianity is a missionary religion, expanding those boundaries was important for
Europeans. This was a main motivator for Christopher Colombus (1451-1506), when he went on
his first voyage in 1492. Colombus documented his voyages in journals and wrote of his
discovery of the Indies, “I believe that they would easily be made Christians, for they appeared
to me to have no religion.”
1
Europeans saw Christianity as “the” religion and thus they sought to
convert others that they came across on their voyages, to their religion.
When European settlers came to North America and found “unclaimed” land, they staked
out farms and excluded the Native Americans who had, over years and years, used that land.
2
1 Christopher Columbus, The Four Voyages of Christopher Columbus, trans. J. M. Cohen (London: Penguin
Classics, 1992).
2 Bentley, J., Ziegler, H., & Salter, H. S. (2021). Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past.
Ebook. 510
3
Europeans had a very different way of life than Native Americas. They brought with them
treaties and property deeds to transfer lands to different people, whereas Native Americans used
lands to keep them healthy, hunt, and cultivate on. These lands were vital to Native Americans
way of life, so when European settlers came and took them for themselves, they threatened their
way of living.
The Catholic faith was another prominent religion during this time, and the need for it to
be spread to other nations and unknown territories was strong. Pope Alexander VI said in a papal
bull in 1493, “Among other works well pleasing to the Divine Majesty and cherished of our
heart, this assuredly ranks highest, that in our times especially the Catholic faith and the
Christian religion be exalted and be everywhere increased and spread, that the health of souls be
cared for and that barbarous nations be overthrown and brought to the faith itself.”
3
King
Ferdinand and Queen Isabella sought out explorers, such as Christopher Colombus, to find new
lands in which to expand their faith onto its inhabitants.
Enlightenment was a new thought-provoking concept for the time. The Enlightenment
started a new wave of free thinkers, in which they sought reason as opposed to faith or tradition.
Leaders of the Enlightenment period such as, John Locke (1632-1704) and Voltaire (1694-1778)
sought for a world that did not rely solely on religious rankings and oppression. John Locke for
example, believed that monarchs did not have a right to rule the land and instead promoted the
idea that sovereignty relies in the people. Enlightenment also called for religious freedom.
Voltaire abhorred the persecution of religious minorities, instead called for the freedom for them
to freely express their views.
Economic Forces
3 Alexander VI, Inter Caetera. p.1
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Following the voyage made by Christopher Colombus to the Americas, the Colombian
Exchange was created. This exchange allowed for the trade of new supplies, crops, such as
potatoes and maize. The exchange also introduced tobacco to new regions, sugar and coffee.
With all these good discoveries came losses as well. These include diseases, which Europeans
brought to otherwise untouched communities. The Native American population is one of these
communities that were defenseless against diseases such as smallpox, typhus, measles, and
malaria.
4
It is estimated that around 50-90% of the Native American population was annihilated
in 100-150 years following Christopher Colombus’ discovery of the Americas in 1492.
5
As well as diseases, the Colombian Exchange offered regions different products than they
were accustomed to. The main ones such as sugar and coffee proved to have large profits for
North America. Nutrition was transformed because of trade and allowed societies to flourish and
grow as a result of the new crops they were able to cultivate. Another lucrative form of trade was
the fur trade. Indigenous peoples trapped animals for Europeans and exchanged them for other
goods such as wool blankets, tools, firearms, and iron pots.
6
Great Britian relied heavily on the 13 colonies in North America in terms of economics.
So, when the 13 colonies announced that they wanted to leave England’s control, England
created a Treaty with the colonies in which they could import slaves from the US colonies.
7
In
the late 1700s, Britian saw an increase in profits of 50%. Before 1600, about two thousand
enslaved people left Africa. However, once Europeans gained interest in commercial interests in
Africa and the Americas, the slave trade expanded exponentially. Once Europeans settled in the
Western hemisphere, they needed people to cultivate their lands. These settlers sought African
4 Nunn, Nathan, and Nancy Qian. 2010. “The Columbian Exchange: A History of Disease, Food, and Ideas.” The
Journal of Economic Perspectives 24 (2): 163–88
5 Nunn and Qian, “The Columbian Exchange,” 165
6 Bentley, Ziegler, and Salter. Traditions and Encounters. 516.
7 Babacar M’baye, “The Economic, Political, and Social Impact of the Atlantic Slave Trade on Africa,” The
European Legacy, 609.
5
labor to cultivate their lands and thus the trade in humans from Africa rose to twenty thousand
per year. In the 18
th
century, this number rose to 50 thousand and even hit 100 thousand in some
years. In various African societies, they benefitted economically from the slave trade. Those that
took captives and sold enslaved people to Europeans profited greatly in the cities in which they
traded.
Political Forces
Portuguese merchants began commercial relations with the kingdom of Kongo in 1483.
After a few years, they developed a good relationship with the kings of Kongo and set up various
tailors, masons, miners, provided the kings with advisors, as well as a military garrison to
support the kings and protect Portuguese interests.
8
The kings of Kongo converted to Christianity
and as a result, was able to develop close relations with the Portuguese merchants and monarchy.
However, the kingdom of Kongo eventually fell, and the Portuguese set up a colony in Angola.
When African societies participated in the slave trade by raiding, capturing, and selling of
enslaved people, they exchanged them for firearms. When the kingdom of Dahomey obtained
these firearms, they used them for the raiding of other, unarmed African societies and exchange
them for more weapons.
9
Since Dahomey was obtaining these firearms, they had the ability to
raid and capture more and more slaves, thus having a constant flow on enslaved peoples to
exchange for weapons. The Atlantic slave trade undermined the political balance that was
already in place in Africa. As slavery became a prominent source of revenue in Africa, capturing
people to then sell them to other continents such as Europe and the Americas allowed for the
growth of personal wealth. The violence in which Africans hunted fellow Africans and growing
classism on the continent was started and kept fueled by the Slave trade.
10
8 Bentley, Ziegler, and Salter. Traditions and Encounters. 528.
9 Bentley, Ziegler, and Salter. Traditions and Encounters. 528
10 Babacar M’baye, “The Economic, Political, and Social Impact of the Atlantic Slave Trade on Africa,” The
European Legacy, 614
6
Religion has had a substantial impact on political affairs. The need for complete religion
authority led to many wars. Such as, the Thirty Years’ war in which the Holy Roman Emperor
attempted to force his subjects to join the Roman Catholic church. King Henry VIII wanted to
divorce his wife, who could not produce an heir, but the Catholic church would not allow him to.
So, he decided to leave the Roman Catholic church and make himself the Head of the Anglican
church. England permanently left the Roman Catholic church in 1560. As a result of this, King
Henry II of Spain attempted to force England to rejoin the Roman Catholic church in 1588. He
did this by sending the Spanish Armada to dethrone Queen Elizabeth. This did not work, and
Spain was defeated.
The need to spread territories was especially great during this time. Spain wanted to
spread their influence and broaden their territory, so having explorers in search of new lands was
important to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. When Christopher Colombus begun
searching kingdoms to support his expeditions, a few did not support his journey. However, the
King and Queen of Spain eventually did and supplied Christopher Colombus with what he would
need to succeed on their journey of expansion. Pope Alexander VI said of their choosing of
Christopher Colombus, “but the said kingdom having at length been regained, as was pleasing to
the Lord, you, with the wish to fulfill your desire, chose our beloved son, Christopher Columbus,
a man assuredly worthy and of the highest recommendations and fitted for so great an
undertaking, whom you furnished with ships and men equipped for like designs.”
11
Forces of Globalization
The discovery of the Americas by Europeans had one of the most profound effects of
globalization. European settlers came to the Americas with the goal of spreading their influence
around the world. This had a profound impact on the world then and still does today. Diseases
11 Alexander VI, Inter Caetera. p.2
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ran rampant in the Americas because of Europeans. Indigenous peoples had no immunity for the
diseases that Europeans brought, thus decimating their populations. In fact, if it were not for
these diseases destroying their societies, Europeans would not have been able to settle in the way
they did in the Americas. Europeans had the opportunity to settle, cultivate land, and start their
own societies in the Americas because of the loss of Native American societies. Also, in present-
day America, there would be substantially more Native American populations if it were not for
the diseases Europeans brought with them.
12
When Christopher Colombus discovered the Americas, he set off a chain of events that
would lead to the linking of the old world and new world. This brought on trade from the new
world of maize, potatoes, pineapples, peppers, peanuts, and more to the old world. Horses and
cattle were able to thrive on the large plains of South America. As a result of this newfound
trade, populations were able to flourish. With the new crops, food, and tools that were able to be
traded, populations saw an increase because of their new diets.
Historical Perspectives
Once Europeans settled in North America, they established colonies and were under the
rule of the British Monarchy. In fact, the British defended and protected the colonies, especially
during the French and Indian War and The Seven Years War. However, The Seven Years War was
expensive, and the British wanted the colonies to help pay for it. So, the British set up tax in the
colonies to help pay for the British protection in North America. Even with this, the colonies had
a sense of independence from the British in that each colony had their own elective legislative
assembly and had grown accustomed to less expensive taxes on imported goods. As a result of
this, the colonies argued that the monarchy could not make decisions that affect them all without
their consent. With the growing tensions between the colonies and the monarchy, The American
12 Bentley, Ziegler, and Salter. Traditions and Encounters. 461
8
Revolution begun. The colonies won the war and created The United States of America. The
creation of this new country would lead to one of the most leading countries in the world.
Conclusion
The growing knowledge European explorers gained about exploration lead to the
discovery of the Americas and set off a chain of events. Through the creation of trade routes,
Europeans were able to spread their religion and the Colombian exchange, and the triangular
exchange set in motion for unwilling human populations, food crops, animals and more to be
exchanged through them. It had a profound and lasting affect around the world in terms of
population decline and growth, African states, and the growth of North America. Globalization
impacted the development of states from 1500 to the present as a result of the creation of links
between all lands and people through exploration and epidemic diseases brought on through
trade by Europeans that impacted the Americas and Africa.
9
Bibliography
1.
Alexander, VI. "Inter Caetera." The University of British Columbia. Accessed November
30, 2018.
http://www.history.ubc.ca/sites/default/files/courses/documents/
[realname]/inter_caetera_excerpted_0.pdf
.
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