The Slave Trade in Context
We all know that African people were transport from Africa and into the Americas as slaves. I was surprise to find out that African people wasn't the first people to be slaves. The Slavic people were the first until the Turks took over and cut off the Slavic people from slavery. However, the word slave partially came from "Slav". The Portuguese minors went to Africa afterwards primarily looking for gold and found that a new source of slaves were in West Africa. These Africans were skilled farmers, had immunity from tropical and European diseases (since most of the Native Americans were dying due to lack of immunity), and they weren't Christians. I was really surprised to find that most of the African slaves wounded up in Brazil or the Caribbean and only five or six percent went to North America. This chapter has been very interesting, to me, in learning where everything started and how people viewed it.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Chapter 15: Global Commerce
The East India Companies
I thought this section was a little surprising because out of all the history classes I have taken, we never really talked about the Dutch and this section does. So, the Dutch controlled the shipping and production of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in Indonesia. They controlled small spice producing islands and made the Native only sell to them and whoever refused their crops were destroyed. As the Dutch profits increased the local economy of the Islands was destroyed and the people were impoverished. This is different from the British East India Company because the British East Company had less money and weren't "commercially sophisticated". They, however, controlled three major trading settlements: Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras. Since on land they weren't as powerful they couldn't do the trade by warfare like the Dutch. The statement about silver: "went around the world and made the world go round" could mean that silver was a big part of the global trade commerce, so it went around but also made the world go crazy for it, doing whatever means necessary. Like Potosà means "portrait of hell". And the Native would have funerals for the miners that had to go dig for silver which is very dangerous..
I thought this section was a little surprising because out of all the history classes I have taken, we never really talked about the Dutch and this section does. So, the Dutch controlled the shipping and production of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in Indonesia. They controlled small spice producing islands and made the Native only sell to them and whoever refused their crops were destroyed. As the Dutch profits increased the local economy of the Islands was destroyed and the people were impoverished. This is different from the British East India Company because the British East Company had less money and weren't "commercially sophisticated". They, however, controlled three major trading settlements: Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras. Since on land they weren't as powerful they couldn't do the trade by warfare like the Dutch. The statement about silver: "went around the world and made the world go round" could mean that silver was a big part of the global trade commerce, so it went around but also made the world go crazy for it, doing whatever means necessary. Like Potosà means "portrait of hell". And the Native would have funerals for the miners that had to go dig for silver which is very dangerous..
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Chapter Four
Sweet Nexus: Sugar and the Origins of the Modern World
1600-1800
This makes the beginning of the connections between sugar and slaves. At that time sugar was becoming the biggest thing on the global market. More and more people had to have it. To them it was like an addiction or medicine. The more they wanted it, the more they had to have it. Sugar became something that everyone needed. The British empire ended the connection between the slaves and sugar in Jamaica and Barbados. While in other places Cuba and Brazil it continued. William Cooper wrote something I thought was interesting and made it seem like sugar was most important than anything else. Like without it what else is there?
"I pity them greatly, but I must be mum,
For how could we do without sugar and rum?
Especially sugar, so needful we see.
What, give up our desserts, our coffee and tea?" ~William Cooper
1600-1800
This makes the beginning of the connections between sugar and slaves. At that time sugar was becoming the biggest thing on the global market. More and more people had to have it. To them it was like an addiction or medicine. The more they wanted it, the more they had to have it. Sugar became something that everyone needed. The British empire ended the connection between the slaves and sugar in Jamaica and Barbados. While in other places Cuba and Brazil it continued. William Cooper wrote something I thought was interesting and made it seem like sugar was most important than anything else. Like without it what else is there?
"I pity them greatly, but I must be mum,
For how could we do without sugar and rum?
Especially sugar, so needful we see.
What, give up our desserts, our coffee and tea?" ~William Cooper
Chapter 14 Part 2
Experiencing the Russian Empire
With Russia being so powerful and more weaponized than the other countries, took over the steppes and Siberia. I think it was pretty ridiculous that after Russia took over the country, they demanded an oath of allegiance by the native people. What person would be so sincere to a commander that just took away their freedom? And not only did they take away their freedom but they also weren't allowed to speak their own language and had to pay the people that took away their freedom in fur. A loss of a whole culture right there. WOW! However, whoever ruled the Russian Empire expaansion had to of been really smart. Not only do they own people but those people paid them and do work for them also. Talk about a bargain.
With Russia being so powerful and more weaponized than the other countries, took over the steppes and Siberia. I think it was pretty ridiculous that after Russia took over the country, they demanded an oath of allegiance by the native people. What person would be so sincere to a commander that just took away their freedom? And not only did they take away their freedom but they also weren't allowed to speak their own language and had to pay the people that took away their freedom in fur. A loss of a whole culture right there. WOW! However, whoever ruled the Russian Empire expaansion had to of been really smart. Not only do they own people but those people paid them and do work for them also. Talk about a bargain.
Chapter 14 part 1
The Great Dying
I felt really bad for the Americans that were here when the Europeans came because a lot of them were affected after the take over. Up to 90 percent of the Native American people died due to the diseases such as malaria, small pox, measles, and yellow fever. With that said, when that many Native people are gone a lot of diversity is lost and can not be passed down to other generations. It amazed me to see that the governor of Massachusetts said "good hand of God, sweeping away great multitudes of the native...that he might make room for us."This statement, to me, is really crazy in a way that people actually thought that. But why does anyone have to be killed in order for people to make room? I guess the method of sharing is caring wasn't invented at that time. :/
I felt really bad for the Americans that were here when the Europeans came because a lot of them were affected after the take over. Up to 90 percent of the Native American people died due to the diseases such as malaria, small pox, measles, and yellow fever. With that said, when that many Native people are gone a lot of diversity is lost and can not be passed down to other generations. It amazed me to see that the governor of Massachusetts said "good hand of God, sweeping away great multitudes of the native...that he might make room for us."This statement, to me, is really crazy in a way that people actually thought that. But why does anyone have to be killed in order for people to make room? I guess the method of sharing is caring wasn't invented at that time. :/
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