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The Atlantic system in history
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Importance of the Atlantic World
For the Europeans and many other places in the world, people that stayed in the shores of the four continents, they looked how from far away lands, sailors brought people, goods, stories and culture. As an exemplification, for the Europeans the Mediterranean was a sea that represented mythology, development of European cultures, agriculture and the progress of commerce and communication between different cultures. That is to say, the Mediterranean connected lands and people that they were relatively close. Moreover, what would be the effect between connections of an ocean that is thirty times larger than the Mediterranean? Cultures and unknown goods clashing together to give a mysterious result, that the world
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In many occasions, ocean shores allowed the contact between cities, for example, the Mediterranean, giving one of the first steps to globalization. This sea also influenced considerable of many civilizations of the antiquity. Understanding how civilizations that lived near ocean shores had a flourishing future is crucial to understand the why that the Atlantic world is a very important to the world history. For example, many civilization that were stablished near the Mediterranean Sea accomplished to expand their territories. Therefore, is observed how the Mediterranean Sea proportioned help in the military scope on the conquest of territories. Moreover, the Greek and Roman civilizations also produced immense cultural enrichment because of the Mediterranean Sea, since it was in a geographical space that permitted the expansion between two people. The Mediterranean Sea allowed the political, economic, and cultural expansion for these civilizations in antiquity. Therefore, the study of the Atlantic world begins determining how important their oceans shores were for antiques civilizations. As Karen Ordahl Kupperman explained on her book “The Atlantic in World History”, “Before people living in the four continents bordering the Atlantic began to reorient their gaze toward the ocean, there was …show more content…
After few years between the sixteen hundreds, rulers from England and France, they wanted to create a new bonding with the new world. They did not like the lack of order of the colonies in America; therefore, they planned a more coherent connection with the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, Kupperman explains how Europeans empires reacted to this situation on her book, “English and French empires moved in similar directions: they sought to tighten up administration of their colonies and they decided to emulate the Spanish example by sending over bureaucrats… to find out more about their American plantations” (p. 99). That is to say, readers can make the conclusion that the Atlantic Ocean has been always a mean to specifically to obtain power and goods, as the sailors traced routes to this international system, this web that expanded and became more united like never
Toward the end of pre-colonial times in Europe, due to the fall of Constantinople, many European nations felt the need to find an alternate route to the East Indies. The trade of rare goods such as spices, rice, exotic fruits and silk fabrics were much in demand, but came at extreme prices. In the beginning of the ‘Age of Exploration’, Portugal was in the forefront with the early explorers Henry the Navigator, Zarco and Tristao Vaz Teixeira, and Diogo Silves discovering the Madeira Islands, the Azores, and the exploration of Africa respectively, but King John the II of Portugal was unconvinced by Christopher Columbus’s pleas to fund his plan to sail West to the East Indies. Columbus made many demands for self-profit, including ten percent of any riches with which he returned, and even an ‘Admiralty’. Subsequently, Columbus took his plans to Queen Isabella of Spain. Spain acquiesced, and Columbus set off on his fateful journey. The Roman Catholic Church was very interested in expanding the Christian faith during this time and applied its influence on the monarchy. Religion also played a large personal role as Columbus truly believed that God spoke to him, and guided his hand. Additionally, at this time in Europe, land and food were at a premium. The monarchs of the era were fully aware that the acquisition of more land, slave labor and possible natural resources would greatly increase their power, prestige and subsequent wealth. After learning of Columbus’ successful return and the Treaty of Tordesillas (which divided the New World between Spain and Portugal), King Henry VII of England threw his hat into the ring and sent John Cabot sailing from Bristol on an attempt to find a shorter route to the ‘Indies’. Not to be left out in ...
The small environment no longer had enough resources to sustain such a large population which motivated them to subdivide and move on. They expanded southward and eastward. They developed seasonal rounds of activity and movement. Climate change expanded the temperate forest throughout North America allowing them to become more familiar with their land. Early Americans. Soon the domestication of plants and animals established. They developed different cultures traditions diets and languages. During the late fifteenth century, Europeans developed the navigational technology and ambitions which allowed them to explore and conquer the world's seas. The Atlantic Ocean once a barrier became a bridge to vast lands and people. The Europeans traveled to the West Indies and India by traveling around Africa. The new discoveries transformed Europe into one of the most dominant continents. European Christians first felt surrounded by their Muslim neighbors. The Muslims were more a more powerful religion extended to North Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia. The Europeans Christians got an opportunity to break out of the Muslim world and spread their beliefs to the newly discovered world and search for the trade riches such as gold, silks, and
More than half of American goods produced for export went to Great Britain, and acts were in effect that gave England more control over colonial exports (Navigation Acts and White Pines Acts are two examples). However, the West Indies played a vital role in preserving American credit in Europe, illustrating that Americans had developed economic differences that distinguished them from the British. They were able to trade with other places throughout the world, not just England. Without the source of income from the West Indies, colonists wouldn’t have been able to pay for manufactured items they purchased in the mother country. An expanding coastal and overland trade also brought colonists of different backgrounds into more frequent contact. Ships that sailed between New England and South Carolina, and between Virginia and Pennsylvania, provided dispersed Americans with a means to exchange ideas and experiences on a more regular basis, which represents both a social and economic difference from the British. Thus, the Americans of the eighteenth century tried to create a society that mirrored the English society they had known. In doing so, they were exposed to a world of ideas, leading them to develop some of their own. These ideas allowed for the development of social and economic differences, which distinguished them from the British and allowed them to develop an “American” cultural
“The Atlantic World was a world Europeans, Africans, and Americans “made together” –together with peoples from without.” Such is the belief of Peter Coclanis, Albert R. Newsome Professor of History and Economics and Associate Provost for International Affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In his paper: Atlantic World or Atlantic/World? published in the William and Mary Quarterly in 2006, Coclanis argues that the study of Atlantic history is too narrow. He writes in this paper that there is no context in which the Atlantic world can be completely separated from the interactions with the rest of the world. The argument Coclanis believes if one is to study Atlantic history of the early modern period (circa 1500-1800 CE) one needs to focus more on other areas, such as the countries outside the Atlantic or their trading circuits in order to fully understand the history of the Atlantic. This idea that Atlantic historians need to change their focus is contradictory to what Atlantic history is. If Atlantic historians shifted their focus to include countries not connected to the Atlantic, can it still be called Atlantic history or if one was to believe what Coclanis suggests: should historians even focus on the Atlantic world at all?
As new ideas traveled main trade routes, such as the Silk Road and the Mediterranean, the effects of such were felt through an influx of contact between countries due to increased desire for new information and countries gaining a larger presence on the world stage. This phenomenon can also be seen through the lens of cultural exchange that took place during this same time period in Eurasia. A major component of the Eurasian trade networks, such as the Silk Road and Indian Ocean, was that they fostered interregional contacts that had ceased to previously exist. When a country had a desire for study or technology, they earned more respect on the global stage. This can be further examined by looking at Marco Polo’s voyage into Asia.
1.) As a whole, the entry of the Europeans into the Asian sea trading network had relatively little effect on the entire system. The entry of the Europeans into the network led to the establishment of new trade routes in the Indian Ocean to the southern Atlantic near the Cape of Good Hope. In water, the Europeans were superior militarily, but on land against fortified Asian settlements, the Asians far surpassed the Europeans technologically. The only superior items that the Europeans had were small, fast sea vessels such as caravels, clocks, and weaponry. This situation of inferiority led to the Europeans’ plan of adaptation to the Asian network instead of trying to control it. Although the Europeans had little to offer, the agricultural items introduced such as crops first cultivated in the Americas proved to be very sustainable and led to large amounts of population growth, but the growing numbers eventually led to the spread of epidemic diseases that ultimately ravaged both Asian and European populations.
Empire had been the word of the day. Germany, Italy, and Japan were working to catch up to the British and their two-hundred-year head start. Military theory and technology was changing. It introduced a new view of international geopolitics: the flags and politics of nations followed the economy of a nation, not the other way around, which had long been the accepted European idea (Reeder 29). Control of the sea was considered vital to all national interest: for the sake of communication to territorial possessions and for, most importantly of all, trade. But technology had also advanced. Coaling stations were now required at various intervals all over the world to keep the steam navies of the day going (Chidsey 15).
American imperialists had in mind to control the West Coast even before the Louisiana Purchase. “But no historian has yet dramatized the story of how Americans began, even before they acquired Louisiana, to view the ocean as their next frontier.” Acquiring the West Coast would give U.S shorter trading route to Asia than Europe had, and a path for further territorial expansion. At the same time, Americans would have controlled vast natural resources like gold and agricultural properties. In 1830s and 40s, w...
The Treaty of London (1604) ended the war between England and Spain and secured Spain’s position as a leading power in the world. Although the war was over, there were still plenty of tensions between the two countries. There is no hiding the fact, that the rivalry between England and Spain in the 1500s and 1600s assisted in spurring the colonization of the New World in completion of new land, wealth and power. Military bases for warring against Spain could also be created in the New World and encouraged England’s colonization as well. Without doubt, the war with Spain and the rivalry created afterwards, was a major stimulation in building new colonies in
In the time of Europe many difficulties came across. The trade to the new word became a trade boom in the 15th century. There was import demand on the companies and the rising export supply became too much for the natives to handle. In the rise of exports the supplies had to be shipped from Asia to the Americans. In the American land, where the majority of Europeans desired to sail to, the new sailors that came were not accepted as Americans, though none were truly considered Americans until later in the time of America. “The sea trade had multiplied by leaps and bounds” (Hale, John R.513). The route of trade was soon taken by Spain and some of the ships were entering to the new world. There was a demand for food in Europe at the time of Columbus and the main sea route for trade was between the North Sea and the Mediterranean. As the trade increased, Europe began to receive products including, pepper, this gave Europe the better of a chance to sail to the new world. The trade in Europe made Europeans richer in the sense of knowledge and began to bring Europeans to a different level of communication with the other lands.
In the case study “If Looks Could Kill”, the hiring process is down to three candidates: Jamal, Tanya, and Darrell. The Hiring committee has to decide which candidate to rule out. All of the committee members agree that this is a difficult decision expect for one. One member of the committee speaks up and says that they think Darrell has to be the one ruled out because of his poor looks. The decision to rule out Darrell based on his looks is the main ethical issue. There are also a few secondary issues that include the student’s reaction to Darrell after his teaching demonstration, the study on physical attractiveness and success, and the question one weather or not physical attractiveness should be a deciding factor on weather or not to hire someone. Below is a chart that includes an analysis of options the hiring committee can make and the people affected by the decision.
Looking back into history, at around the 1500s to the 1600s, people were very much the same in the sense that many countries were looking to aggrandize their economy and appear the greatest. It was this pride and thinking that motivated many of the superpowers of the world’s past. Two such monarchies in the European continent included England and Spain, which had at the time, the best fleets the world has ever seen. Because both were often striving to be the best, they conflicted with one another. Although England and Spain had their differences, they both had a thirst to see new things and it was this hunger that led them both to discovering different parts of the “New World” and thus, colonizing the Americas.
The departure from previous expansionism (up to 1880) developed alongside the tremendous changes and amplifications of United States power (in government, economics, and military.) The growth in strength and size of the United States navy gave the country many more opportunities to grow, explore, and expand both in size and money. The better range and build of ships allowed the U.S. to enter the Far East, lands of the Philippines and China, all to increase trade and to create an influx of commerce. Because of the huge production of agricultural goods and the need for outputs and markets for these goods, the United States needed to find other places for shipping, trading, buying, and selling, and these areas of interest were just the place. The idea of Manifest Destiny and placing faith in God also allowed the United States to expand farther out into what once were unattainable lands. Document C, written by Mahan the naval writer, explains the three necessary obligations of sea power, as well as expressing the extreme importance of the navy during late 1800’s expansionism. During this time period and before, it was believed that whoever retained control of the seas would maintain control over the lands. Additionally, the speech by Senator Albert Beveridge (Document E) further states the importance of the U.S. expanding into the Pacific Ocean (especially the Phillipines) and trading with eastern countries: “the pacific is the ocean of the commerce of the future...the power that rules the Pacific is the power that rules the world… forever be the American Republic.
analysis on how the Atlantic became known as the Atlantic because of the presence of
In order for Civilizations to expand and survive a lasting life; trade and exploration must be present. Thus, the development of a society being shaped and limited by its geography. If I had the ability to choose where to create a civilization amidst the years 1,000-1,200, based on a location’s geographical benefits, I would determine the northeast bank of the Nile Delta in what was then apart of Fatimid Caliphate ruled Egypt, to be the optimum choice. The three geographical features owed to my decision are the abundantly fertile lands along the delta. Being suited for the building of a canal as the narrowest stretch of land separating the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea.