European Encounters and Mercantilism

1. European Encountersand Mercantilism Chapter 8—Section 2

3. Impact on Native Americans • Europeans were learning of the profitability of the plantation system – relying on what? • Economic benefit of using local forced labor • Disease – Europeans, unknowingly brought measles, mumps, chickenpox, smallpox, typhus and others. • The local people had no built-up natural immunity to these diseases yet.

4. Impact on Africans • With decline of native work force, labor was needed from elsewhere. • Slave trade exploded, especially in Western Africa • Over the next 300 years (1500-1800) almost 10 million people were taken

5. Impact on Europeans • Europeans began to cross the Atlantic creating one of the largest voluntary migrations in world history. • Overseas expansion inflamed national rivalries in Europe causing conflict. • Treaty of Tordesillas, 1494 • Growth of trade markets completely changed the world FOREVER.

6. New World cropsmaize (corn), vanilla,white/sweet potatoes,squash (incl. pumpkin), manioc/cassava, tobacco,peanuts,tomatoes,pineapples,papaya,avocados Old World cropsrice, wheat, barleyoats, rye, turnipsonions, cabbagelettuce, peachespears,sugar, olives, bananas Columbian Exchange

7. The Introduction of New Diseases • Native Americans had no natural resistance to European diseases • Smallpox, measles, influenza, malaria killed millions • Population of central Mexico may have decreased by more than 30 percent in the 10 years following first contact with Europeans • Devastating Impact • Native American population continued to decline for centuries • Inca Empire decreased from 13 million in 1492 to 2 million in 1600 • North American population fell from 2 million in 1492 to 500,000 in 1900—but disease not only factor in decrease of population • Intermittent warfare, other violence also contributed

8. Effects of the Columbian Exchange • Different Foods • Exchange of foods, animals had dramatic impact on later societies • Over time crops native to Americas became staples in diets of Europeans • Foods provided substantial nutrition, helped people live longer • Economics and Gastronomics • Activities like Texas cattle ranching, Brazilian coffee growing not possible without Columbian Exchange; cows, coffee native to Old World • Traditional cuisines changed because of Columbian Exchange • Italian Food Without Tomatoes? • Until contact with Americas, Europeans had never tried tomatoes • Most Europeans thought tomatoes poisonous • By late 1600s, tomatoes had begun to be included in Italian cookbooks

9. The Exchange of Goods Sharing Discoveries • Plants, animals developed in very different ways in hemispheres • Europeans—no potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, turkeys • People in Americas—no coffee, oranges, rice, wheat, sheep, cattle • Arrival of Europeans in Americas changed all this • Previously unknown foods taken back to Europe • Familiar foods brought to Americas by colonists The Columbian Exchange • Voyages launched large-scale contact between Europe and Americas. • Interaction with Native Americans led to sweeping cultural changes. • Contact between the two groups led to the widespread exchange of plants, animals, and disease—the Columbian Exchange. The introduction of beasts of burden to the Americas was a significant development from the Columbian Exchange. The introduction of the horse provided people in the Americas with a new source of labor and transportation.

11. The Exchange can be positive or negative in its effects • In the exchange that started along the coast of Newfoundland and was made widespread by Columbus, disease was the most negative for the Native American population • Fatality rate over a period of two to three generations was 95% for many tribal groups • In some cases, as in the Mohegans case, the fatality rate could be 100%

12. Europeans believed that it was God’s will that Indians died • No germ theory at the time of contact. • Illness in Europe was considered to be the consequence of sin • Indians, who were largely “heathen” or non-Christian were regarded as sinners thus subject to illness as a punishment

13. New World Microbes • Not all pathogens traveled from Europe to the Americas • Syphilis, polio, hepatitis and encephalitis were new world diseases • African slaves were less vulnerable to European diseases than were Indians • Europeans succumbed to Malaria easily

14. Old World Diseases • European disease was particularly virulent • Smallpox, measles, diphtheria, whooping cough, chicken pox, bubonic plague, scarlet fever and influenza were the most common diseases • Nearly all of the European diseases were communicable by air and touch. • The pathway of these diseases was invisible to both Indians and Europeans

15. Diseases Smallpox Bubonic Plague Measles

16. Disease raced ahead of people • In most cases, Indian peoples became sick even before they had direct contact with Europeans • Trade goods that traveled from tribe to tribe though middlemen were often the source • There is little or no evidence to think that Europeans intentionally infected trade items for trade with Indians to kill them

17. Mainland outbreaks • Diseases, especially smallpox, were transported from the Caribbean to the mainland by the Cortez expedition in the 1630s • A sick African infected the Aztecs of Mexico City • Incubation of smallpox is 14 days—this causes the disease to spread over great distances • Smallpox killed half the Iroquois populations in 1738 and again in 1759 • Entire tribe of Mandans died during the winter of 1837-1838

18. Conclusion • All of these exchanges then, of microbes, plants and animals had a dramatic effect on the environment of the New World, and by extension, a dramatic, and often negative effect on the economies and cultures of Indian peoples.

19. Intense Competition New Economic Policy • Wealth measured by amount of gold, silver possessed by nation • Mercantilists believed there was fixed amount of wealth in world • For one nation to become wealthier, more powerful—had to take wealth, power away from another nation • Mercantilism led to intense competition between nations • Founding of colonies, new goods in Europe led to significant changes • 1500s, Europeans developed new economic policy, mercantilism • Nation’s strength depended on its wealth • Wealthy nation had power for military and expanded influence Mercantilism

20. Imports Exports • To achieve favorable balance of trade, could reduce amount of imports by placing tariffs on goods • Importer paid tariff, added cost to price of good • Imported goods more expensive, discouraged people from buying • Encourage exports that could sell for higher prices than raw materials • Countries encouraged manufacturing and export of manufactured goods • Governments provided subsidies to help start new industries Balance of Trade • Mercantilists built wealth two ways—extract gold, silver from mines at home, in colonies; sell more goods than it bought from foreign countries, creating favorable balance of trade • With favorable balance of trade, country received more gold, silver from other nations than it paid to them • Increased its power; weakened foreign competitors

21. Controlling Sources Third approach for favorable balance of trade, controlling sources • Nation that controlled own sources would not need to import from competing nations • Why important • Country did not need to spend own money to obtain raw materials • Foreign countries considered rivals, might become active enemy, cut off supply of raw materials • European nations worked to become more self-sufficient • Nations began to establish colonies