APUSH Unit 1: Long Term Consequences of Discovering the Americas

Summary

In 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

00:00

🌏 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.

05:00

🏛 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.

10:01

👥 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.

15:02

🛶 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.

Keywords

💡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. In the video, it is described as a massive exchange of goods and organisms between Europe and the Americas, which had a profound impact on both continents, including the introduction of new crops and animals, and the spread of diseases.

💡Encomienda System

The Encomienda System was a colonial system used in the Spanish Empire that granted Spanish settlers the right to use the labor of indigenous people in the Americas. It was initially meant to be a form of protection and cultural exchange, but it often led to exploitation and forced labor. The script mentions this system as a method used by the Spanish to control and utilize the labor of the native populations after their conquest.

💡Capitalism

Capitalism is an economic system based on private ownership of the means of production and the pursuit of profit. The video discusses how the increase in population and trade following the Columbian Exchange led to the rise of capitalism, with joint-stock companies and private businesses taking over from government-controlled mercantilism. This shift allowed for more investment and economic growth, as exemplified by the script's mention of the protection of investors and the spread of cash crops like sugarcane.

💡Beasts of Burden

Beasts of burden refer to large animals that are used to perform tasks such as carrying heavy loads or pulling carts. In the context of the video, the introduction of animals like horses, oxen, and cattle to the Americas by the Spanish had a significant impact on the ability to do heavy work, as the largest domesticated animal previously available in the Americas was the llama, which was not as suited for such tasks.

💡Disease

The term 'disease' in the script refers to the epidemics of measles and smallpox that were brought to the Americas by Europeans, which had devastating effects on the indigenous populations due to their lack of immunity. This aspect is crucial to understanding the demographic changes and the imbalance of power between the Europeans and the native peoples.

💡Sugarcane

Sugarcane is a tropical crop that was significant in the economic development of the Americas after its introduction by the Spanish. The video mentions sugarcane as an important cash crop that led to economic opportunities and the demand for labor, which in turn contributed to the establishment of the slave trade to work the plantations.

💡African Slave Trade

The African Slave Trade refers to the transatlantic trade where Africans were captured and sold into slavery in the Americas. The script discusses how the demand for labor in the Americas, coupled with the difficulty of enslaving and maintaining native populations due to disease and escape, led to the importation of Africans to work on cash crops like sugarcane. This trade was brutal and resulted in a significant loss of life during the Middle Passage.

💡Casta System

The Casta System was a complex social hierarchy in colonial Spanish America that classified individuals based on their racial ancestry. The video script describes how this system developed as a result of interactions between Europeans, indigenous peoples, and Africans, creating a rigid class structure with categories such as Peninsulares, Creoles, Mestizos, and Mulattoes.

💡Bartolome de las Casas

Bartolome de las Casas was a Spanish priest and a key figure in the video's discussion of the treatment of indigenous peoples. He initially owned slaves but later became an advocate for the rights of the native populations, attempting to persuade the Spanish king to enact laws to protect them, known as the New Laws of 1542.

💡Middle Passage

The Middle Passage refers to the segment of the triangular trade route in which enslaved Africans were transported across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. The script describes the harrowing conditions of the Middle Passage, including the high mortality rate and the inhumane treatment of the enslaved individuals.

💡African Influence

African Influence in the Americas is highlighted in the script as a significant cultural contribution, despite the forced nature of the African presence through slavery. It includes the introduction of rice as a staple crop, the development of unique musical styles and instruments like the banjo, and the incorporation of African rhythms into American music and food traditions.

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