Before colonialism came to Africa, the continent was thriving. As Boahen says, “the most surprising aspects of the imposition of colonialism on Africa were its suddenness and its unpredictability.” Because prior to this, there was growing independence of many African nations. The slave trade had a major impact on Africa and its ability to grow economically. It also hindered family structures due to the massive amounts of men between ages 18 and 30 who were taken for slaves. African cities and towns did not have
Slavery and a profitable cotton business came in hand in hand, without slaves the profits were small. As the cotton industry grow so did the slave population. This is shown by the fact that as the slave population increasing in 1790 from 700,000 to 4 million in 1860 cotton production went up to 4.5 million bales of cotton from only 3000. The cotton industry brought vast profits to the south and was a large contributor to the USA exports with 57% of all exports and without it the southern economy would have collapsed showing just how essential it was to the south. As well as bring in huge profits the cotton industry with the help of free labour form the slaves could now expand and it was profitable to expand in to the west to find new land to set up plantations.
DBQ: Patterns of Trade from 1000-1450 Between the years 1000 and 1450, trade networks throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia were established and thriving. European and Muslim influence was working its way into Africa and China via the world trade network. Of course, these contacts from trade left cultural consequences in the areas they assimilated in to. The documents allude to Muslims having a greater influence and cultural impression on their contacts than the Europeans did on theirs, who emphasized religious conversion and admiring the goods and cultures that interested them. An additional document from the perspective of an African or Asian merchant would be useful, as the documents given only showed perceptions from Europeans or Muslims.
In the Southern colonies, the main source of economic growth was agriculture, specifically the planting and harvesting of tobacco, indigo, rice, and sugar cane, which were the staple crops of the region. These crops were often grown on very large plantations owned by wealthy white men, with little assistance to work the plantations. Not wanting to pay indentured servants for work, they often bought slaves to work the fields. This ended up saving them a lot of money, as they only had to pay for the initial purchase of the slave and, aside from the necessities of life, such as food and shelter, didn't need to invest anything more. The African slaves were also a lot more versatile than the indentured servants.
Two months after the Diligent left Vannes, they reached the Gold Coast. One of many sketches that Durand drew in his journal was of the fortifications of the Gold Coast. Harms included those in the book to paint a clearer picture for the reader. Harms stressed the importance of what went on in the actual continent of Africa. The Dutch had a huge interest for gold in Africa, but was beginning to switch to slaves.
This affected the Axum Empire in many ways. They (Axum people) had gained wealth because it was a great trade point and from it, it was introduced to religions, Christianity and Islam. Another empire is called the Kingdom of Ghana in Western Africa. They became one of the richest civilizations due to commerce. In document two, it states that the amount of wealth was visible because of what the pages were wearing.
After Europe set up colonies all across the continent, there were many resources found. The slave trade was established in Africa while it was under the imperialism from Europe. Other important resources that were found in Africa were diamonds, especially in South Africa, and gold. Another key reason why Africa was under imperialism was because Europeans, not just the British, wanted to spread Christianity and religion wherever they conquered, and since Africa seemed uninfluenced by any form of religion, it seemed the perfect place to impose Christianity. Africa’s ports were also a major stopping point for most of the world, and Europe had ideas of spreading Christianity to the world and it would start one port at a time.
They were able to gain things like corn and potatoes, but they also brought crops and trade products along with them to the Americas. They introduced horses as well as wheat and cotton. The expansion of trade to the Americas not only benefited Europe, but also benefited the New World by introducing trade crops that are still huge in America today. Without the discovery of these products, Europe’s economy would not have skyrocketed and they would not be as prominent a continent as they are today. The slave trade began around the mid-1600s with the European colonies that were built in the Americas.
It proved to be very beneficial to Europe and was practiced for quite some time. Along with the development of mercantilism, migrations increased because of the population boom due to the corn and potatoes. A new social class was developed called the Bourgeoisie. But to work the land and farm it the Europeans needed slaves of which were abducted and bought from Africa after most of the Native Americans that had already been occupying the land were dying off from the foreign
Millions of poor farmers are dependent on these commodities such as cotton and on the price they receive for their harvest. In many developing countries, three or fewer primary commodity exports constitute the bulk of export revenue. Many farmers, often without other means of subsistence, are expected to produce more and more, no matter how low the prices sink. Fair trade agreements and the Fair Trade mark on products exported mean companies and consumers now have a choice, but not an obligation, to use