Maintenance and Development: The Atlantic System

A large amount of wealth during this time accumulated due to the exploitation of human labor in the Atlantic System. We will explore how slavery was used to further advance the causes of wealthy states. Additionally, we'll explore how the Atlantic System changed cultures and money systems.

A world map showing the distribution of slaves from Africa to Europe and the Americas — Slave Trade from Africa to the Americas: 1650-1860. Between 1650 and 1860, approximately 10 to 15 million enslaved people were transported from western Africa to the Americas. Most were shipped to the West Indies, Central America, and South America. Red lines indicate major slave trade routes. Goods (tobacco, coffee, cotton, sugar, mining, rice) are marked with icons on the map. Slave numbers: .3 million to Europe; .5 million to North America; 4.5 million to the West Indies, .2 million to Central America, 5 million to Brazil (eastern South America), .5 million to Peru (western South America).

The Atlantic System and the Slave Trade

The trade in slaves caused a significant demographic change in Africa. Between 1500 and 1900, approximately 10-15 million slaves were taken from Africa's west coast to labor in the Americas. During that same time, 6 million left the East Coast as slaves in Asia, and 8 million were enslaved within the African continent.

The result was that, just as European and Asian populations were increasing due to the transfer of new crops (the Columbian Exchange), Africa saw a significant decline in population. Moreover, since there was an emphasis placed on having male slaves for sugar plantations in the Americas, the drain of slaves on the West African coast was skewed by sex. Places hit hardest by the slave trade, such as Angola, experienced a catastrophic sex imbalance, with women comprising up to 65 percent of the population.

The Blending of Cultures

The encounters between empires brought belief systems together and led to rich syncretic blends of religious symbolism and beliefs. You have previously learned about the blending of indigenous and Catholic symbolism in the Americas that culminated with the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico. As the Islamic Mughal Dynasty formed, an enormous amount of religious syncretism formed in South Asia as well. A New World religion, Sikhism, combined Islam's notion of the oneness of God with the Hindu concept of inclusiveness. Its followers, called Sikhs, believe in radical equality among all people and teach that people should serve others without expectation of reward or recognition.

It’s important to understand that the same content can be asked in different ways on the AP Exam. For example, the rise of Vodun, Santeria, and the Virgin of Guadalupe could be asked about in terms of the consequences of the Columbian Exchange. They could also be asked about as a result of the spread of empires, as we have studied here. Sikhism, however, is a result of the encounters between empires but not part of the Columbian Exchange.

The Rise of Silver as a Global Currency

We saw in the previous period (600-1450) that the creation of a common currency in China facilitated trade in that region. Widely accepted currencies speed up transactions and provide a standardized way for merchants to measure the value of commodities. In this period, the use of a common currency expanded from regional to global use. The Spanish peso de ocho, or "piece of eight," was the first currency in history to be used globally.

The front and back of a silver coin — Pesos de ocho, or “pieces of eight” from the time of Ferdinand VIII. Front Text: DEI GRATIA FERDIN VII 1821. Back Text: HISPAN ET IND REX M 8R I I

The Taj Mahal in India — The Taj Mahal is a testimony to the wealth of silver. Built by Shah Jahan, it was funded by Spanish silver from South America.

This currency was the product of Spain's mining of enormous amounts of silver in the New World. In present-day Bolivia and Mexico, they discovered massive deposits of silver, including a mountain full of silver at Potosi.

After the purest veins of silver were quickly strip-mined, production slowed; then the Spanish introduced the amalgamation method of using mercury to extract silver from ore. Production soared. In two centuries, the silver mines of the Spanish New World produced 40,000 tons of silver.

How the Silver Was Used

The industrial centers that grew around these mines minted 2.5 million silver coins per year. The peso de ocho, worth about 80 US dollars today, gained acceptance around the world and lubricated global trade on an unprecedented level. Mughal India wanted Spanish silver for payment for its pepper sales, and this surge of silver funded Shah Jahan's construction of the Taj Mahal.

Much of the Spanish silver ended up in the hands of the Chinese, who had no desire for European products but readily accepted silver as payment for their coveted exports. The peso de ocho was even accepted currency in the United States until the Coinage Act of 1857.

Practice Activity: Causes and Effects

Select the correct cause for each outcome.

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