Unit Three + Four
1450 to 1750
➢ Americas became part of a global trade network
○ Columbian exchange
■ New diseases, crops, people, cultures
■ Sugar cultivation + silver
● Relied on African slave labor after deaths of indigenous people
● Potosí Hill (silver mine)
● Encomienda: System of forced labor
➢ European technological improvements
○ Shipbuilding, gunpowder weapons
○ Colonialism
○ Printing press (invented by Johannes Gutenberg)
➢ Deaths of indigenous populations in Americas
○ Exposure to European diseases
○ Forced migration of Africans to work on sugar plantations in New World
■ Triangular trade: Trade route
● Europe + Africa: Manufactured goods
● Africa + New World: Enslaved people
● New World + Europe: Raw materials
➢ New social structures in Americas based on racial hierarchies
○ Peninsulares: Spanish officials sent to govern colonies
○ Creoles: Spanish blood born in Americas
○ Mestizos: Mixed European and indigenous descent in Spanish colonies
○ Mulattos: Mixed African and Spanish descent in Spanish colonies
○ Viceroys: Appointed governors of the regions
➢ Maritime power growth
○ Portuguese
■ Dominated coastal Africa, Indian Ocean, Spice Islands
● Naval superiority in Straits of Malacca
■ Atlantic slave trade
■ Financed a voyage by Bartolomeu Dias, rounded Cape of Good Hope
■ Vasco da Gama: Rounded Cape of Good Hope
● Explored East African Kingdoms
● Went to India, established trade relations
○ Dutch
○ Voyages of:
, ■ Magellan
■ Columbus
➢ Three major European movements
○ Challenged power of Catholic Church
○ Weakened traditional authority
○ Rapid growth in European economies and population
○ Renaissance: A period of artistic + scientific self-discovery and relearning of
classical wisdom
■ Humanism: Focus on human endeavors, contributions, achievements
■ Focus on individuality reduced authority of institutions
■ Questioning of the nature of religion and natural phenomena
○ Protestant Reformation
■ Questioned practices of Catholic Church during period of social upheaval
● Selling of indulgences
■ Martin Luther in Germany wrote 95 Theses
● Frustrations with church’s corruption, practices, etc
● Lutherans: His followers
■ Calvinism: Beliefs of John Calvin (Protestant)
● Influenced Huguenots (Calvinists) in France
■ John Wesley in England (Anglican)
■ King Henry VIII founded Anglican Church (Church of England)
● Act of Supremacy: English monarch as head of church, removed
powers of Pope as head of church
○ Scientific Revolution: Period where scientists challenged traditional reality
■ Scientific method and progress
● Tycho Brahe
● Francis Bacon
● Johannes Kelper
● Sir Issac Newton
■ Early figures persecuted by Catholic Church (e.g. Galileo Galilei)
■ Nicolaus Copernicus: Developed theory that solar system revolves
around sun (heliocentric theory)
● Wasn’t believed til Galileo discovered moons of Jupiter
■ Many people became atheists (no god exists) or deists (God plays a
passive role)
➢ Colonies and riches led to wars
○ Spain vs France over control of Italy
○ Spain vs Ottoman Turks over control of Eastern Europe
1450 to 1750
➢ Americas became part of a global trade network
○ Columbian exchange
■ New diseases, crops, people, cultures
■ Sugar cultivation + silver
● Relied on African slave labor after deaths of indigenous people
● Potosí Hill (silver mine)
● Encomienda: System of forced labor
➢ European technological improvements
○ Shipbuilding, gunpowder weapons
○ Colonialism
○ Printing press (invented by Johannes Gutenberg)
➢ Deaths of indigenous populations in Americas
○ Exposure to European diseases
○ Forced migration of Africans to work on sugar plantations in New World
■ Triangular trade: Trade route
● Europe + Africa: Manufactured goods
● Africa + New World: Enslaved people
● New World + Europe: Raw materials
➢ New social structures in Americas based on racial hierarchies
○ Peninsulares: Spanish officials sent to govern colonies
○ Creoles: Spanish blood born in Americas
○ Mestizos: Mixed European and indigenous descent in Spanish colonies
○ Mulattos: Mixed African and Spanish descent in Spanish colonies
○ Viceroys: Appointed governors of the regions
➢ Maritime power growth
○ Portuguese
■ Dominated coastal Africa, Indian Ocean, Spice Islands
● Naval superiority in Straits of Malacca
■ Atlantic slave trade
■ Financed a voyage by Bartolomeu Dias, rounded Cape of Good Hope
■ Vasco da Gama: Rounded Cape of Good Hope
● Explored East African Kingdoms
● Went to India, established trade relations
○ Dutch
○ Voyages of:
, ■ Magellan
■ Columbus
➢ Three major European movements
○ Challenged power of Catholic Church
○ Weakened traditional authority
○ Rapid growth in European economies and population
○ Renaissance: A period of artistic + scientific self-discovery and relearning of
classical wisdom
■ Humanism: Focus on human endeavors, contributions, achievements
■ Focus on individuality reduced authority of institutions
■ Questioning of the nature of religion and natural phenomena
○ Protestant Reformation
■ Questioned practices of Catholic Church during period of social upheaval
● Selling of indulgences
■ Martin Luther in Germany wrote 95 Theses
● Frustrations with church’s corruption, practices, etc
● Lutherans: His followers
■ Calvinism: Beliefs of John Calvin (Protestant)
● Influenced Huguenots (Calvinists) in France
■ John Wesley in England (Anglican)
■ King Henry VIII founded Anglican Church (Church of England)
● Act of Supremacy: English monarch as head of church, removed
powers of Pope as head of church
○ Scientific Revolution: Period where scientists challenged traditional reality
■ Scientific method and progress
● Tycho Brahe
● Francis Bacon
● Johannes Kelper
● Sir Issac Newton
■ Early figures persecuted by Catholic Church (e.g. Galileo Galilei)
■ Nicolaus Copernicus: Developed theory that solar system revolves
around sun (heliocentric theory)
● Wasn’t believed til Galileo discovered moons of Jupiter
■ Many people became atheists (no god exists) or deists (God plays a
passive role)
➢ Colonies and riches led to wars
○ Spain vs France over control of Italy
○ Spain vs Ottoman Turks over control of Eastern Europe
