Question

Quesiton 3

a.      1492 is a significant date in the history of humanity. Please mention several points in explaining the significance of this date to major changes that would follow.

b. What drove Europeans to explore the world? How did the slave trade affect the New World? How did it affect Africa?

c. How and why did a world market emerge? Explain how the geographical discoveries, Columbian Exchange, conquistadores, and the Atlantic Trade Triangle relate to each other.

Answer 1

1. 1492 was one of the most influential years in Spanish history as the following events occurred. The fall of Granada: Spain recaptures Granada as the emir of Granada surrenders its control to the monarchs of the Catholic community thereby putting an end to the Muslim control.

Queen Isabella and Ferdinand sign the Alhambra Decree

Christopher Columbus sets sail across the Atlantic Ocean with the hopes of reaching East Asia, however, lands up in America. At the end of the year nearly 10000 Jews were expelled form Sicily.

1. Europeans wanted to explore the world with the hopes of getting entries to the Asian markets for trade, to explore God, gold and also for religious motives as they sought to bring Jerusalem as a complete Christian land. Europe wanted to dominate the world

The slave trade led to significant improvements in the European economy. In Britain, the cotton mills were established which employed the cheap black slaves as laborers. A lot of businesses in Britain progressed with the use of cheap save trade.

Black slaves were employed as laborers and majority of them were from East Africa. The slave trade had negative consequences on the African community. African rulers themselves created traditions that captured slaves mostly men and brutally treated them. According to some statistics, there were around 12 million slaves. These lead to severe consequences in society as the white were rich and the black remained poor thus creating a divide which negatively influenced the lives of the black even years after the emancipation. This divide led to segregation of the black and white communities.

1. In the Columbian exchange, plants, technologies, diseases, crops were exported to other continents. Through Christopher Columbus’s expedition, two hemispheres were connected where America, Asia, Europe began exchange goods and this was called as Columbian Exchange. The economies in Europe improved significantly through trade; however, there was a shortage of laborers which eventually led to slavery. In the triangular trade, raw materials were transported to American from Europe, manufactured items went to Europe and eventually the slaves went to America and Europe for work. As a result European economy developed significantly