Politcal & Economic Transformations (Ch. 13 & 14 / Week II)

Chapter 13 delt with political transformations, empires and encounters, in a premature America. European empires in America had a strong advantage compared to their competitors. Their geographical position in the atlantic ocean gave them strong air currents towards America. Apart from having effective mobilization and material resources, Europeans brought with them diseases and  germs which wiped out approximately 90% of the native american race. This biological wipeout is known as "the Great Dying" which included disease like small pox, measles, typhus, influenza, malaria, & yellow fever. This event gave way to labor shortages which created the Columbian Exchange. Columbia exchange brought immigrant newcomers and enslaved Africans. Among them were plants and animals. The food crops that were cropped changed populations in Europe, China, and Africa.

There were various colonies in the Americas at the time. There was the Aztecs and Incas which was dominated by Spanish settlers who promoted commercial agriculture and silver & gold mining. Spanish males in this colony would intact recreate with natives and form what they called mestizos which were declared middle class after pure spaniards. Then there were colonies of sugar which were in Brazil and Caribbean. Brazil was controlled by Portuguese forces and the Caribbean was controlled by the French. The value in sugar was in high demand in Europe where it would be used as medicine, spices, and sweetener. Due to sugar production being so dangerous the controlling forces looked at the atlantic slave trade for their workforce. Approximatly 80% of slaves ended in Brazil or the Caribbean. Settler colonies in North America (New England, New York, Pennsylvania) were under British control. North American Colonies were said to be pure colonies because they didn't really need slaves. Independent farmers worked their land therefore they were actual settlers. The Settler Colonies focused more soft-gold, fur, unlike the South and Brazil/Caribbean. 

Chapter 14 felt with economic transformations, commerce and consequences, in a premature America. The beginning of the chapter talked about European & Asian commerce. The European & Asian network of commerce stretched from East Asia to China. The Portuguese Empire of Commerce formed a Trading Port Empire which was basically piracy. They controlled more of half the spice trade to Europe because of their advanced naval capacity. The East India Companies (Dutch, & British East India Company) were military and economically strong. The Dutch Inda Company monopolized nutmeg, mace, & cloves through bloodshed and slavery. The British India Company Established 3 major trading settlements in Bombay, Calcutta and India's West Coast.