Transoceanic Interconnections (1450-1750)
IntermediateFrom 1450 to 1750, European maritime exploration transformed global connections. Portuguese and Spanish voyages opened sea routes to Asia and the Americas. The Columbian Exchange transferred plants, animals, diseases, and people between hemispheres, devastating indigenous populations while transforming agriculture and diets worldwide.
The Atlantic slave trade forcibly transported millions of Africans to the Americas, creating plantation economies. Colonial systems -- Spanish encomienda, Portuguese Estado da India, Dutch VOC -- reshaped societies and economies. Silver from the Americas flowed through Manila to China, creating the first truly global economy.
These transoceanic connections produced both unprecedented exchange and unprecedented exploitation.
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- •Analyze the causes and consequences of European maritime exploration
- •Evaluate the biological, economic, and cultural impacts of the Columbian Exchange
- •Explain the development and effects of the Atlantic slave trade
Recommended Resources
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Books
1493
by Charles C. Mann
The Slave Trade
by Hugh Thomas
Born in Blood and Fire
by John Charles Chasteen
A Peoples History of the United States
by Howard Zinn
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