APUSH Unit 1: Long Term Consequences of Discovering the Americas
Summary
TLDRIn this educational video, Mr. Jacobson explores the profound long-term effects of the Americas' discovery on world history. He delves into the Colombian Exchange, detailing the bi-directional transfer of goods, animals, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds, which spurred population growth and economic shifts. The rise of capitalism, the encomienda system, and the emergence of the slave trade are highlighted, illustrating the complex social and economic changes that reshaped the Americas and influenced global dynamics.
Takeaways
- 🌏 The discovery of the Americas by the Spaniards led to the Columbian Exchange, a massive transfer of goods, animals, and ideas between the Old and New Worlds.
- 🌾 The introduction of crops like sugar cane, bluegrass, and livestock such as horses, oxen, and cattle to the Americas significantly changed the agricultural landscape.
- 🐪 The Americas lacked large beasts of burden before the arrival of the Spaniards, with the llama being the largest domesticated animal.
- 🔪 Steel, guns, and diseases like measles and smallpox were transferred from Europe to the Americas, impacting the native populations.
- 🍠 In return, Europe received new foods like beans, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, and tobacco, which contributed to population growth worldwide.
- 📈 The population spike and increased trade led to the rise of capitalism, with joint-stock companies and laws protecting investors, replacing the mercantilist system.
- 🏭 The demand for labor in the Americas due to new land acquisitions resulted in the exploitation of native populations and the development of the encomienda system.
- 👥 Disease and the inability to effectively enslave natives led to the rise of the transatlantic slave trade, importing Africans to work on cash crops like sugar.
- 🎵 African culture influenced the Americas through contributions to music, religion, and food, despite the brutal conditions of the Middle Passage.
- 🏷 The Spanish created the casta system, a complex social hierarchy based on racial ancestry, reflecting the racial mixing that occurred in the Americas.
- 🤝 The English and French had different approaches to interaction with the Americas, with the English focusing on trade and the French on fur trading and alliances with natives.
Q & A
What is the Columbian Exchange?
-The Columbian Exchange refers to the widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World following the voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492.
What were some of the items exchanged from Europe to the Americas during the Columbian Exchange?
-Items from Europe that were exchanged to the Americas included sugar cane, bluegrass, beasts of burden like horses, oxen, cattle, steel, guns, and diseases such as measles and smallpox.
What were the long-term effects of the Columbian Exchange on the world's population?
-The Columbian Exchange led to a spike in the world's population, primarily due to the introduction of crops like corn and potatoes, which were new to Europe, Africa, and Asia and helped to support larger populations.
How did the discovery of the Americas impact the economic system in Europe?
-The discovery of the Americas led to an increase in trade and the rise of capitalism as the favored economic system. Joint stock companies emerged, allowing for investment in shipping and trade without the risks being borne by a single government or individual.
What was the encomienda system and how did it affect the indigenous people of the Americas?
-The encomienda system was a Spanish system where indigenous people were granted land and protection in exchange for labor. However, it often resulted in forced labor and harsh conditions for the natives, contributing to their decline due to disease and overwork.
Why did the Spanish begin to import Africans to work in the Americas?
-The Spanish began importing Africans to work in the Americas because the indigenous population was decimated by disease and the natives were not well-suited for the heavy labor required in the mines and fields. Additionally, many natives managed to escape enslavement due to their knowledge of the land.
What was the significance of the caste system, or 'casta system', that developed in the Spanish colonies?
-The casta system was a complex social hierarchy that developed in the Spanish colonies, categorizing individuals based on their racial ancestry. It reflected the mixing of European, African, and indigenous populations and influenced social status and opportunities.
How did the attitudes of Bartolome de las Casas and Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda differ regarding the treatment of indigenous people?
-Bartolome de las Casas advocated for the humane treatment of indigenous people, recognizing their humanity and arguing against their enslavement. In contrast, Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda believed that the indigenous people were less than human and justified their exploitation and enslavement.
What was unique about the English approach to settling in the Americas compared to the Spanish?
-The English settlers typically did not settle in areas heavily controlled by large indigenous empires and often brought their families with them, reducing the likelihood of intermarriage with natives. They also focused more on trade and coexistence rather than conquest and enslavement.
How did the French differ from the English and Spanish in their interactions with the Americas?
-The French were primarily interested in trading opportunities rather than settling and establishing large empires. They built trading posts and engaged in trade with the native populations, sometimes intermarrying, but did not typically settle and displace the indigenous people.
What cultural contributions did the Africans brought to the Americas make to the New World?
-African culture contributed significantly to the Americas, influencing food, music, and religion. The introduction of rice was important for agriculture, and the banjo and other musical instruments brought by Africans had a lasting impact on American music.
Outlines
🌏 The Columbian Exchange and Its Impact
In this paragraph, Mr. Jacobson introduces the long-term effects of the discovery of the Americas, focusing on the Columbian Exchange. This refers to the extensive trade of animals, plants, culture, and ideas between the Old and New Worlds following the Spanish arrival. The exchange brought new crops to the Americas, such as sugar cane and bluegrass, and introduced horses, oxen, and cattle. It also led to the transfer of diseases like measles and smallpox from Europe to the Americas. The reciprocal exchange included foods like beans, corn, potatoes, and tomatoes from the Americas to Europe, which significantly increased the global population. The paragraph also touches on the rise of capitalism and the shift from government-controlled economies to private businesses and joint stock companies, which spurred investment and economic growth.
🏛 The Emergence of Capitalism and Labor Systems
This section delves into the economic implications of the Americas' discovery, particularly the rise of capitalism and the need for labor in the newly acquired lands. The Spanish conquest of the Aztec and Inca empires led to the exploitation of native populations, initially through the encomienda system, which was supposed to protect and Christianize the natives while forcing them into labor. However, due to the natives' susceptibility to European diseases and their ability to escape, the Spanish turned to African slaves to work on cash crops like sugarcane. The paragraph also discusses the asiento system, which required colonists to pay taxes on each slave imported, and the brutal conditions of the Middle Passage. The paragraph concludes with the cultural impact of African slaves on the Americas, including their influence on music, religion, and food.
👥 The Casta System and Treatment of Natives
The third paragraph discusses the development of the casta system, a complex social hierarchy in Spanish America that resulted from intermixing between Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans. It includes various social classes such as Peninsulares, Creoles, Mestizos, and Mulattoes. The treatment of Native Americans by the Spanish is also explored, with contrasting views between those who advocated for their rights, like Bartolomé de las Casas, and those who saw them as inferior and exploitable, like Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda. The paragraph highlights the Spanish King's attempt to pass the New Laws of 1542 to protect the natives, which were eventually repealed due to pressure from the Spanish aristocracy.
🛶 The English and French Interaction with Native Americans
This paragraph examines the different approaches of the English and French towards the Native Americans compared to the Spanish. The English settlers, who often brought their families, were less likely to intermarry with the natives and maintained a more communal but separate existence, focusing on trade and coexistence without extensive land occupation. The French, on the other hand, were primarily interested in trading opportunities, establishing posts along major rivers to trade for furs and other goods, and occasionally intermarrying with the natives. The paragraph also touches on the English view of land as a resource for wealth and exploitation, contrasting with the Native American perspective of communal land use.
🎵 African Influence and the Cultural Melting Pot
The final paragraph highlights the role of Africans in America, who, despite being brought over as slaves, contributed significantly to the cultural development of the continent. Africans introduced rice cultivation, which became vital in regions like South Carolina and Louisiana, and their musical traditions, particularly the banjo, influenced the music of the southeastern United States. The paragraph also addresses the European justification for the slave trade, citing biblical references and the belief in African biological inferiority, drawing parallels to the treatment of Native Americans by figures like Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Columbian Exchange
💡Encomienda System
💡Capitalism
💡Beasts of Burden
💡Disease
💡Sugarcane
💡African Slave Trade
💡Casta System
💡Bartolome de las Casas
💡Middle Passage
💡African Influence
Highlights
Introduction to the long-term effects of the discovery of the Americas in the AP US history curriculum.
The Colombian Exchange: A massive exchange of goods, animals, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds.
European introductions to the Americas included sugar cane, bluegrass, horses, oxen, cattle, and steel.
The Americas introduced to Europe: beans, corn, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, tobacco, syphilis, squash, and more.
Impact of the Colombian Exchange on global population growth due to new food sources.
The rise of capitalism and the shift from mercantilism to joint-stock companies and private businesses.
New land in the Americas leading to economic opportunities, particularly in cash crops like sugarcane and tobacco.
The encomienda system and its role in the forced labor of indigenous peoples in the Americas.
The challenges of enslaving natives due to disease, escape, and the natives' knowledge of the land.
The transition from native enslavement to the African slave trade due to difficulties in controlling native labor.
The asiento system and the Spanish requirement for colonists to pay taxes on each African slave imported.
The brutal conditions of the Middle Passage and the high mortality rate during the transatlantic slave trade.
African culture's endurance and influence on music, religion, and food in the Americas.
The caste system or 'casta system' that developed due to interactions between the Spanish and the Americas.
Contrasting views on the treatment of Native Americans, from advocacy for their rights to beliefs in their inferiority.
The repeal of the New Laws of 1542 due to pressure from the Spanish aristocracy.
The English approach to settlement and trade with Native Americans without intermarriage.
The French focus on trade rather than settlement, and their relationships with Native Americans.
The role of Africans in America, including the introduction of rice cultivation and cultural contributions.
European justifications for the slave trade based on religious and racial superiority arguments.
Transcripts
and hello my fabulous students this is
your
favorite teacher mr jacobson i am
excited to be with you today
today we're going to discuss
in the apus history curriculum the
long-term effects of discovering the
americas so now we have the spaniards
they've landed they've interacted
and they're enacting change so what are
those long-term changes or long-term
effects
that have come as a result so
with that said let us begin
so one of the biggest changes that
occurs due to the discovery of the
americas
by the spaniards
is the colombian exchange and the
climate exchange is simply
uh once
the spanish were able to dominate the uh
americas and all the resources
then you have this massive exchange
going on with
things from europe coming to america and
things from america going to europe
so you have things from europe coming to
america like sugar cane bluegrass
you got beasts of burden like horses and
oxen and cattle and other kind of
animals that they didn't have the
america as beforehand in fact
the
the largest most domesticated animal
that they had in the americas was was
the llama
so they didn't and llamas not very big
so they didn't have a lot of
beasts of burden that could do some
heavy lifting so
their attitude towards animals in the
americas is very different than
that in the
europe and and the old world
you have the wheel coming over you got
steel you got guns and unfortunately you
also have disease coming over
mainly measles and smallpox
to the amer from the americas to europe
you got new new things like beans
corn
sweetened white potatoes tomatoes
tobacco syphilis
squash and so you have this massive
exchanging happening which is going to
spike
the population of the entire world
because
mainly because the corn and potatoes
uh
which will which will be a great
blessing to uh to europe
africa and asia
so here's just a picture if you like
visuals just to sort of get a better
idea of what exactly colombian exchange
did what was going over from the old
world what was going coming over from
the new world etc
all right we also have the rights of
capitalism happening here so with an
increase in population in europe this
also led to an increase in trade okay
you're following me here so climate
exchange happens we got a spike in
population in the world with more people
on the world there's an increase there's
a chance to have an increase in trade
which definitely happened
eventually capitalism became the favored
economic system with the joint stock
companies paying for shipping instead of
governments if you remember before the
capitalist system there was the
mercantile system
or mercantilism
and that was um that was
largely controlled economy
by governments
and the uh
it was the acquiring of gold and silver
and and imperialism
um it's mainly in the americas pretty
much now you got capitalism happening
where you have like private
um businesses and you have joint stock
companies who are sort of investing
instead of governments
and you also have laws that protect
a lot of those
businesses that are being formed
so
so capitalism say a bunch of ships were
destroyed
okay in a storm
then it wasn't just one investor that
lost a bunch of money but because you
have joint stock companies you have
hundreds of people all pitching in
money and are are looking for an
investment back right
then losing all those ships i mean it
would be it'd be a hard hit but it
wouldn't be a devastating hit that could
probably you know
destroy your your entire financial
future
so
joint stock companies just made it
i guess less intimidating to invest you
also had laws
that protected investors so that they
only lost what they put into the
investment they couldn't lose their
house or anything else if you put 50 000
in that's what you can lose nothing more
that's it
so again it's just these ideas that
promote people to to to to
invest in the economy especially with
this new idea of capitalism that became
quite popular
um you also have new land in the
americas which meant there were new
opportunities economically especially in
the cash crop industry like tobacco but
more importantly sugarcane
so we also have new systems of labor
that happen as a re as a consequence or
a result
of uh of discovering the americas uh you
have hernan cortez francisco pizarro
they're going they're going to dominate
and control the aztec and the inca
they're going to take those empires and
make them no more and that would just
give the spanish more power and more
dominion
over the vast amount of resources that
were found in the americas
so by acquiring all this land in the
americas
it's going to result in a demand for
labor you got all this land you have all
this potential to make money so now
they're going to be like well we got to
get people work on this so the first
thing they wanted to do was they started
making natives into in the americas um
they had them
working on them and working on cash
crops and in silver mines
um they even created an encomienda
system which uh was there it originally
was supposed to be like okay so you know
if you're on the encomienda then the
spanish will promise to protect you from
any of the your enemies or whatever or
any any neighbors that may neighboring
tribes that may want to harm you or
whatever the spanish will protect you
uh however you have to work on there and
usually working that you know heart back
breaking work
um they would also teach them
christianity on encomienda systems and
they would even learn the language of
spanish uh which i'm sure many natives
thought you know i guess this is the way
things are going so i should learn
spanish
the the natives you know they were
forced to work but because of disease
and because of their their
lack of immunity to these diseases
then it was just they were dying you
know and and also they're they just
their comp the body composition wasn't
very um
suited for heavy back-breaking kind of
work
and you also have natives who know the
land really well and can blend in pretty
easily so
they would enslave them but then they
would get just disappear
because they knew the layout of the land
and they had a lot of friends that could
help them escape and disappear forever
kind of thing right so it's really hard
to enslave these people
in any kind of sure fashion if you will
so um so those were the problems with um
with the natives of the americas
and their enslavement so
as a result of disease and not being
able to
um keep their their their natives
enslaved because they were escaping
there was there was a new um
a group of people that had received a
lot of contact from europe from portugal
because prince henry's school of
navigation started building trading
posts along the african coast and
building relationships with a lot of
these chiefs and tribes right
so then they started to import africans
over to work in harvesting the cash
crops like sugar etc
and this became known as the slave trade
and the spanish imported
people under the aciento system
which required colonists to pay attacks
to the spanish king on each slave they
imported to the americas
you got 10 to 15 um
percent that were transported across the
atlantic ocean they died and that was
known as the middle passage we have a
picture here that kind of gives you
a somewhat idea
of what it may have looked like it was
probably a lot more brutal personally
um here i mean they're they're like
being able to see you know they're out
in the open you know there's the sky i
don't think i mean they did let them
come to the deck for a little bit but i
mean mainly they were down in the hold
area which wasn't very good i mean
couldn't stand
i think it was like five feet tall
in the hold area so they couldn't even
stand up properly and they were just
pushing like sardines
just a terrible fate
through it all african culture endured
and caused change in the americas and
music religion food etc which we'll talk
a little later
so
the spanish coming over to the americas
created a whole new caste system or
known as the casta
system
and this isn't new to people who took ap
world history
but just as a recap so we have a new
like
class
system that develops as a result of the
spanish
interacting with the americas
known as the casa system you got the
peninsulares
we got the creoles or the creoles okay
and these are the descendants of the
peninsulares
you have mestizo and you have mulatto
and anyway i have them here i have it
also in this
in this uh
diagram here as well which i think is is
very good
all right so the spanish treatment of
the native americans um so there's kind
of like a love hate relationship that
kind of goes on there there's some
spanish that were like hey you know we
should treat them nice and you know
these are human beings there's some
spanish who believe less than human
beings
so it's kind of interesting to see how
it all kind of shapes up
but the bottom line is is that i
the the spanish
kind of saw the natives of the americas
as being somewhat inferior and so if
you're inferior and you're better than
them then naturally you should just
exploit them
so you have
bartolome de las casas
he originally kind of had this idea he
even owned some some um some slaves for
a while
um however he's a catholic priest he
starts in his later years starts to
realize that you know these are actually
human beings and and we can't treat them
the way that we have been so he even
tries to persuade the spanish king
to to create laws that protects them
these were known as the new laws of
1542. and
the king passed it for a while but event
you know and the law was supposed to end
like the encomienda system and just
slavery in general
but there's just too much pressure by
the aristocracy in spain
on the king and the king eventually
repealed those laws
and kind of like the counterpart to
bartolome
we have juan
hines de sopo vida
and
he
is kind of like the anti bartolome in
that he believes not only should the
indians be
exploited and enslaved but it's okay
because they're less than human it's his
attitude and so you got a lot of these
conflicting ideas in spain and in europe
that are going around and it's kind of
we you know you kind of wonder which one
is going to prevail in the end
so the treatment of the americas with
the the english and the french so the
english
they didn't settle where like large
empires controlled like the spanish did
right so the english settled in places
that were less controlled by other
tribes
the english usually brought their
families over
if you bring your family over then
you're not looking to marry a native as
well right and so the english kind of
kept more to themselves
the english were
able to just sort of
you know
they created trade ties with the native
americas and they even coexisted
somewhat but there wasn't like an
intermarrying that went on and and maybe
one of the reasons was because you know
deep down side perhaps the english kind
of saw the indians as savage i mean they
weren't as civilized
as you know the the english saw
themselves with the the height of of the
industrial revolution you know just
about ready to take into effect and all
the massive trading that's been going on
um so it you can kind of see you know
the indians lived a very different life
than what the english
believed life should be right their
attitude towards land was very different
the indians believed land is something
to kind of be shared communal and you
know the european view of land and i'd
even say probably as far as you know the
old world view of land is land is
something that can be used to get rich
and exploit
um
and then in france you know you have
french coming over to the americas but
they're not really getting going there
to necessarily settle they're going
there because they're going for trading
opportunities right um so they're kind
of less of a threat if you will than the
english because
uh the french were going over to trade
with the natives uh native americans
and uh and and so they were building
those trading relationships but they
weren't sticking around and raising
families and starting to occupy
uh land in that kind of threading manner
right
so the french are going to build trading
posts along st lawrence river great
lakes mississippi river
uh they're gonna look for you know those
beaver pelts and other furs and trade
their goods with
with the uh the native americans
and even some of them will marry uh some
some natives as well
the trappers that come over unlike the
english
and then the role of africans in america
so we so
they kind of so we got we got the
europeans right we got the um
the natives and these are two cultures
that sort of come together and then we
have a third culture that comes together
and they're kind of forced to come right
so so we have four slavery happening
where they're compelled to come
nevertheless we do have a third
tradition and culture that comes with it
because of african influence we got rice
that starts to come over to the americas
rice becomes important grain in like
south carolina and louisiana
you got the anyway so you got things
like gumbo right that start to emerge
you got musical rhythm and style with
the banjo being closely associated with
southeastern united states i mean here
in this picture this was
created in the early 1800s and here you
have this gentleman here who is an
african i'm assuming he's an african
slave
but he's got a banjo on his knee right
and so
it's believed that the banjo has very
strong ties to african tradition
and so europeans you know they would
justify their their their constant um
their constant barrage of bringing
slaves african slaves over to the
americas by using the bible
they would even argue that africans are
bio biologically inferior and this is
similar to juan gina hines de sapovida
and his argument against the native
americans right
and so uh anyway so so that's all we're
going to talk about today i just want to
talk about the major consequences the
long-term effects that happen which are
going to further help us understand
the uh the the the the things that will
happen
in the next couple of webcasts as a
result because this is this is where it
all begins right the spanish interact
and the english come over and the french
come over and that's enacting a lot of
change which will get more change and
more change so go ahead and write that
summary and i look forward to discussing
this with you when we return
thanks
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