The Atlantic World
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The Atlantic World
There were many transformations that occurred in the Atlantic world during 1492-1750s. Africa benefited the least from slavery during this time period. Once slave trade began Africas population started to decrease, while in the Americas the economy started to grow, for Europe slavery provided foundation for the Industrial Revolution.
In Africa the population started to decrease once slave trade began because all the strong working people were sold and taken to the Americas. During this process the chiefs got richer while the poor got poorer. The Europeans would trade the Africans manufactured products and guns through trading posts along the coast for slaves then they would take the slaves to the Americas and trade the Americans the slaves for sugar. Basically since the slaves were taken out of their homeland, Africas economy started to decline and since all the hard, strong workers got taken all their jobs and stuff got left. Therefore because the population had a major decline so did the economy.
The Americas on the other had benefited a lot from the slave trade. Once the population declined during the “great Dying” it created more room for immigrant newcomers to come. Once Europeans and Africans did come they not only brought their diseases and culture but also plants and animals. Once all the invasive animals came there wasnt a large number of prey for those animals therefore the amount of animals increased which really helped reshape the worlds economy. These domesticated animals made possible the ranching economies, the cowboy cultures, and the transformation of many Native American societies that were seen in both North and South America. This was very revolutionary environmentally speaking.
Along with the Americans, Europe greatly benefited from the slave trade also in terms of socially and economically. While Europe was exchanging and trading things with other places they also gained more knowledge and understandings of the world, this contributed to the scientific revolution. The wealth of the colonies such as the natural resources, precious metals, food crops, slave labor, etc., etc. all provided one of the foundations on which the Industrial revolution was built. Since Europe established sugar producing plantations they were in need of workers which is where the slaves came in, because of this there was a major population growth in Europe. The industrial Revolution was characterized chiefly by the replacement of hand tools such as the power loom and the steam engine, and by the concentration of industry in large establishments.
During 1492-1750 there were many dramatic transformations throughout the Atlantic world. In this particular time period Africa, America and Europe all had some positive and negative aspects to there transformation but unfortunately Africa benefited the