Jan 31

Reformation teachings and practices didn't offer women a greater role in church or society. The male Christ figure was left as the sole object of worship. Protestants and Catholics were not willing to offer women an official role within their churches. Women had little opportunity to use knowledge from the bible outside of the family. On August 24, 1572 about 3,000 Huguenots were massacred, and in weeks that followed, thousands more perished. During the Thirty Years' War, between 15 to 30 percent of the Germans perished. People were encouraged to read and interpret the scriptures individually and to seek salvation without being in the church. Vasco da Gama landed in India in 1948. His search was for Christians and spices.

Jan 28

Daniel Ajayi-Adeniran, a US missionary, represents a church which started in Nigeria in 1952. His church is called Redeemed Christian Church of God, and "it has acquired millions of members" (Strayer, 719). In other words, this church is so popular that millions of people have attended it. Christianity was mainly established in the Americas and Philippines. It was modestly established in Siberia, Japan, China, and India. A new and competing worldview that almost became a new religion was science. In time, science grew and achieved a global acceptance that exceeded Christianity or any other religion. As Christianity entered new cultural environments, it was largely determined how it would be accepted, transformed, or rejected by Africans, Asians, and Native Americans. "At the beginning of the early modern era," "Christianity was largely limited to Europe" (Strayer, 720). So as life began, Christianity mainly existed in Europe. By 1300, Muslims ousted Christian Crusaders from their land. The future of Muslim rule followed Islam rather than Christianity. For the previous 1,000 years, Roman Catholic Christianity had provided the foundation of Western European civilization. According to Martin Luther's understanding of salvation, it came through faith alone. The source of these beliefs, according to Luther came from the teaching of the Bible, "interpreted according to the individual's conscience" (Strayer, 722). This means that one's conscience is enough to tell oneself right from wrong.

The slave trade had a greater destabilizing effects in Kongo than in any where else in Africa. The Gold Coast's kingdom of Asante was "heavily invested in the slave trade" (Strayer, 707). This means that the kingdom of Asante had a lot of slavery happening in the region. The British no longer bought slaves from the kingdom of Asante in the early nineteenth century. The great king of England bought ivory, gold, and slaves a long time ago. Now, he will not allow the ships to come, so as a result, people are only buying gold and ivory. The king said that if the white men would understand his country, "they would not say the slave trade was bad" (Strayer, 708). Therefore, the white men would better appreciate the fact that there is a slave trade that exists, and would acknowledge it in a gracious manner. Although they think the slave trade is bad now, they originally thought it was good. Men who come from Manding, Dagomba, and Killinga stop and trade slaves prior to going home. 

Jan 26

At the trunk, the king was selling slaves for sale. The king's slaves were not to be refused, though they might have been the "worst slaves in the trunk" (Strayer 704). However, these slaves cost more than the others. The slaves were shaved before being sold, so any grey hair or white hair would not be visible, and age would be a difficult factor to determine. Cowries were the best goods used to purchase slaves. While an individual is buying slaves ashore, others on board are dying. European cattle, horses, and guns were encouraged to be imported by the royal family, who converted to Christianity.

January 25

Equiano was sold into a house where he was used as much as possible, and the family did the best they could to make sure he was comfortable. The first wife in the family reminded him of his mother, and the family spoke the same language as him. The next family Equiano was sold into would carry him on their backs or shoulders whenever he was tired. After being sold to a number of places, Equiano stopped at a town called Tinmah. Tinmah was the most beautiful country he had seen in Africa. Little white shells represented money. These shells were as small as fingernails. Equiano was sold for one hundred  hand seventy two shells. The treatment Equiano received at the merchant's house made him forget he was a slave. However, despite Equiano being able to find a home where he felt as if he belonged and was happy, he was then kidnapped and traveled "through different countries and various nations" (Strayer 702). Therefore, he was unable to stay with the family he felt most comfortable about. On the ship under the deck Equiano became so sick that he was unable to eat. For refusing to eat, Equiano was flogged severely.

Jan 25

At age 11 Equiano was sold into slavery. In 1766, Equiano was able to buy his freedom. At age 11, Equiano was kidnapped with his sister into the nearest wood. Equiano was put into a large sack.  Then, he and his sister were separated from each other. The house where Equiano was sold into, the family used him as much as possible.

Jan 24

Most slaves worked in the owners farms, households, or shops. For the vast majority of slaves, there was little hope of freedom. Sugar plantations consisted of slaves working. While exploring West Africa's coast, the Portuguese were mainly searching for gold. However, they also found slaves available for sale. Slaves were mainly found in Africa in terms of searching for labor. Africans had some immunity to the European diseases. Europeans had imagined Africans as an inferior race, or as not even human. Many people from African societies were willing to sell their slaves. Europeans died quickly when entering Africa because "they lacked immunities to common tropical diseases" (Strayer 690). This means that Europeans died for entering African territory.

Jan 23

Between 1500 and 1866, the Atlantic slave trade consisted of an estimated 12.5 million people living in African societies. 10.7 million Africans moved to the Americas, where they became slaves. During the transatlantic crossing, about 1.8 million Africans died.Europeans and Native Americans accumulated more African slaves from the slave trade happening in the Americas. The spread of Africans created issues of race that occur in the twenty-first century. African culture, including "religious ideas, musical and artistic traditions, and cuisine" (Strayer, 688) converted into American culture.  This means that religion, musical and artistic traditions, and food from Africa became part of the American lifestyle. The slave trade enriched European and Euro-American societies, with the forced labor of African slaves. The Atlantic slave trade represented the owning and exchange of individuals. Surprisingly, in many places slaves "could be assimilated into their owners' households, lineages, or communities" (Strayer, 688). This means that slaves had an ability to blend in with all other human beings. The Islams preferred to have twice the amount of female slaves than males, while the Atlantic slave trade preferred to have twice the amount of male slaves than female.

Jan 19

The Dutch were involved in producing cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace. The Dutch destroyed the crops of those who refused to sell only to the Dutch. Between 1624 and 1662, the Dutch East India Company hoped to produce for export deerskins, rice, and sugar. The Dutch monopoly excluded the British from the rich Spice Islands. The Dutch practiced "trade by warfare" in Indonesia. The Dutch and English traded pepper, textiles, tea, and coffee. In Japan a substantial Christian movement grew in the second half of the sixteenth century. Europeans were viewed as a threat to Japan's newly established unity. As a result, Japan suppressed the practice of Christianity and expelled Christian missionaries. Only the Dutch were permitted to trade with Japan at a single site. While closing off their country from European commerce, Japanese authorities kept their trading ties to Korea and China.

With naval technology and naval warfare, the Europeans were prepared. In order to control commerce, the Portuguese created a "trading post empire." Asian traders and married Asian women outnumbered the Portuguese. Portugal, this small European country, raised "Asian states such as Japan, Burma, Mughal India, Persia" (Strayer, 674). Therefore these countries expanded due to the existence of Portugal. The first country to challenge Portugal's position was Spain. The Spanish established themselves on the Philippine Islands. This region was first discovered by the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan, who sailed on behalf of the Spanish Crown. At the end of the nineteenth century, the "United States assumed control following the Spanish-American War of 1898" (Strayer, 675). Male Spanish priests displaced women who played major roles as healers, midwives, and ritual specialists. By 1600, Manila, Philippines became a city with a population of 40,000 inhabitants. This city also attracted 3,000 Japanese and over 20,000 Chinese.

Jan 18

From 1497 - 1499, Vasco da Gama sailed to India for the first time. This happened as a result of a "Portuguese effort to explore a sea route to the East" (Strayer, 670). Thus the Eastern part of the world was explored for the first time. Tropical spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cloves, and pepper were discovered and used in I believe Europe. In the early fourteenth century, the Black Death occurred in Europe. Europe's population grew in the fifteenth century. In order to buy Asian spices or textiles, Europeans had to pay gold or silver cash. Mexico and Brazil had rich silver deposits which provided a temporary solution to the European problem. Most of the people that were involved in the trade that took place were Muslims. This trade happened between "Africans, Arabs, Persians, Indians, Malays, Chinese, and others" (Strayer, 672). Therefore, a lot of those countries had Muslims as their citizens. Jews, Christians, Hindus, and Chinese also had a role in this trade. Europeans were unable to compete effectively because their "trade goods were crude and unattractive in Asian markets"(Strayer, 672 - 673).

Jan 16

It is surprising that drugs, products ingested, smoked, sniffed, or drunk were used in exchange and production. This means that people using drugs caused the success of broad exchanges between countries.  Global importance with sugar did not begin until the Muslim expansion after the seventh century. Interestingly, sugar grows in hot, moist areas. Labor must be happening all year round. Originally, sugar was not known in Europe. This means that the food in Europe was not as sweet and flavorful. Sugar eventually started occurring in Europe, as it grew in southern Spain and Portugal. Even African labor was used to produce sugar in the late 1400s. The demand of sugar created fortunes and misery. In the eighteenth century, sugar became used as a sweetener for beverages. Poor individuals spent money on sugared tea. One type of trade that occurred was between sugar and tobacco from the Americas to Europe. Rum was sent from New England to Africa. I remember when I was younger and visiting my aunt's house in Utah, she would always make or buy rum cake for the family. It is so delicious! The British preferred to feed their slaves, which I would imagine being the proper thing to do. However, the Portuguese expected the slaves provide their own sustenance from small plots given to them. The sugar cane was planted, weeded, and harvested by African slaves. Sugar cane had to be harvested year round in order to crush the juice from the cane. North America or Europe is where the final stage of manufacture for sugar took place. In 1715 sugar took place in British society and politics. The fact that the poor drank tea with sugar reminds me of the Boston Tea Party, when a bunch of tea was dumped into the water and wasted. America and Africa were both depopulated for the production of sugar and coffee.

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Kenny Silberberg

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Jan 15

While the western European powers were building up their colonial holdings, Russia saw new opportunities to expand eastward into SIberia. The Russians had to deal with Mongol domination for two centuries. Russia began first by conquering cities with Russian speaking populations, and then molding them into a unified Russian state. There were also other ethnic groups such as the Poles, Ukrainians, Germans, Belorussians, and Baltic Peoples that decided to move into these eastern territories. Mongols weren't the only people the Russians had to deal with in Siberia. There were several nomadic hunter gatherer peoples who offered little resistance to Russian expansion. Russians were motivated by the fur trade to move eastward, so they built fortified towns and trading areas to support these trade markets.

Jan 14

 

I think it is unfair how the Native Americans got diseases from the Europeans and died.  Also how the Africans were made slaves is completely unjust. Although their skin is a different color, they are still human beings and deserve to be treated as such. It is very interesting how a lot of the plants and animals came from the Americas. Thus in order to attain food, Europeans and Asians had to make trade with the Americans. According to the text book, "wheat, rice, sugarcane, grapes, and many garden vegetables and fruits, as well as numerous weeds, took hold in the Americas... even more revolutionary were their animals - horses, pigs, cattle, goats, sheep" (Strayer, 624). This just shows that there was a lot of food being imported to other countries from the Americas.

Pages 610-615: Indian women and Spanish men married to interbred ...

Pages 610-615: Indian women and Spanish men married to interbred ...: Indian women and Spanish men married to interbred babies. Dona Marina was a lady who had a brother and was sold early   on to slavery after ...Brazil and Portugal grew sugar canes and launched their business success in selling sugar.

Indian women and Spanish men married to interbred babies. Dona Marina was a lady who had a brother and was sold early on to slavery after her father died and her mother remarried. During her lifetime, she married twice. Her first husband was Hernan Cortes. Dona Marina's Spanish name was La Malinche.

While reading these five pages, I realized that there is more substance to modern societies. The "gunpowder revolution" occurred, causing various European powers to find new domains in the Americas. Europeans had a limited political and military power in mainland Asia and Africa.