Chapter 14 and 15

Chapter 14

To open this chapter, let me say that I think it is appalling that someone would think that others deaths were "the 'good hand of God' at work." (p. 407) I find this thought process, about the deaths and killing of Native Americans, to be selfish and inhumane.

This chapter starts with talking about how Europe brought new food and animals to the Americas. The American foods were then brought back to the Eastern Hemisphere. It references how "potatoes helped" increase the human population of Europe, and how the foods from America were cheaper for the Europeans. Corn was brought to Africa. Silver trade from Mexico started.

It then talked about the interbreeding of different races and how Spaniards breed with Indians. A person of this mix of races was called a "mestizo" and they were often "looked down on" by Spaniards as they were "illegitimate." (p. 411) I find this disturbing also. I do not understand how people can find others to be less than them because they are born of a different race or out of wedlock. Whether mixed or not, or married or not a person is a person.

The chapter then discusses Atlantic slave trade. Slaves were used to grow sugar in the Caribbean as the Native Americans of the area had died or left. The introduction led to intermingled races in the Caribbean as peoples procreated. British North America did not see the intermingled races from the slave trade as the European women had come to North America.

The Russian and Chinese Empires are discussed next in the chapter. As the Russian Empire grew it forced conquered people to pay "yasak." The conquered were expected to become Christian, and they were forced to give us their hunting and pastoral life styles. (p. 419) The Chinese Qing Dynasty enlarged its empire to defend itself. It wanted to avoid Mongol and Russian take over. The areas that the Qing Dynasty took over were ran by "the Court of Colonial Affairs". The Qing Dynasty did not force the Chinese beliefs or religion onto the areas that they conquered. (p. 423)

The Moghal and Ottoman Empires where then reviewed. Akbar, a Mughal Indian emperor, tolerated Hindus and those from other faiths. He married Hindu princesses and "did not require them to convert to Islam." (p. 424) He held back "the more military Islamic ulama." He stopped "the special tax (jizya) on non-Muslims." (p. 424) A later emperor, Aurangzed, did not agree with Akvars rules, or lack of them. He changed and added many laws, and started the jizya again. This reversal led to an unstable empire that would be taken over by the British later. The Ottoman Empire expansion saw different results in areas that it took over. In Anatolia, many conquered peoples "converted...to Islam." (p. 427) In the Balkans very few peoples converted to Islam. "Many...Christians...welcomed (the) Ottoman conquest." (p. 427) There were not taxes as much as they were by other empires. They were not required to convert to Islam. There was a downside though, the "devshirme" where communities had to give "young boys" that would be "trained for...civil administration or military service."

Chapter 15

This chapter discussed the commerce of the Portuguese, Spain and Philippines, and East India. It also reviewed the types of trading that were done: silver, fur, and slave trade.

Portuguese made a "trading post empire" on the Indian Ocean. They "tried to require all merchant vessels to purchase a 'cartaz'...and to pay duties." The cartax was not successful so they started to sell "their shipping services because they (couldn't)...sell their goods." Since they could not control the sea trades, they "settled in Asian and African ports." (p. 437) "Spain took over islands that later" became the Philippine Islands. They did this to keep up with "the riches of the East". (p. 437) The British and Dutch created "private trading companies" on the Indian Ocean. The companies were called the "British East India Company and the Dutch East India Company". (p. 439) The Dutch took complete control of "the trade in nutmeg, mace, and cloves." The British traded with Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras." (p. 440)

Silver Trading: Silver was traded from Mexico to the Philippines and "was the first direct and sustained link between the Americas and Asia." (p. 442) A Chinese tax on silver lead to the cost of silver going up. Silver helped many become wealthy, but it also separated many families and killed many as the mining process was dangerous and unhealthy. When the value "of silver dropped" so did Spain's economy. (p. 443) Japan "used silver-generated profits to defeat...rival...lords and unify the country." "To (get) the silver needed to pay...taxes (Chinese peoples) had to sell (their) labor or their products." Europe became the "middlemen" of silver trade between America and Asia. (p. 444)

Fur Trade: As populations grew in Europe, animals with fur in the Americas decreased due to the demand of fur. Beavers were "near extinction." Deer were "seriously diminishing." (p. 446) The fur trading allowed some Native American populations to grow and profit. The downside for them was the exposure to new diseases, dependence on European goods, guns, and alcohol. (p. 447)

Atlantic Slave Trade: Slavery in the Americas was different from earlier slavery. It was: larger, "based on plantation agriculture," "dehumanizing", they had no rights or freedoms, and it was race based. (p. 450) African peoples were traded as slaves as if they were a spice or other good. The fact that they were humans was lost. The African leaders started off trading other Africans that were in prison, but eventually their peoples started being taken and they could not stop the trading even though they wanted to. Some leaders were tricked onto boat, "made...drunk" (p. 453) and taken as slaves.