Colonization

The colonization period of the world marked a turning point in culture and the demographics of regions. Conquerors are often glorified for their performance in battle and of gaining land for their respected countries. Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, Great Britain and other countries all had claims in Africa and the newly discovered Americas. This new influx of rulers and customs had a distinct impact on the future of those lands. New rulers and settlements began to arise and old traditions and natives were driven out. Replacing entire centuries worth of religions, beliefs, and overall ownership of the land, the new colonies in the new world and Africa left their mark on the land and the globe. Furthering the development of this new expansion was the influence of new products and economic opportunities that presented themselves. Sugar cane field in the Caribbean islands and tobacco and cotton production in the antebellum drove the need for labor that was abundant and cheap. This drove owners of large plantations to desire the need of slaves. Slave trade became integral in both African colonization and the new world colonization, and is directly responsible for the change in the views of treatment of people.

african_colonial_map            The colonization of both Africa and the new world do provide some similarities to each other. First, many European nations had claims in both territories. The Dutch in what is modern day New York, English in the majority of the coast, and the Spanish in Florida and more western areas. The French had claim in modern day Canada and main lands were disputed against. Eventually the Dutch gave up their land and the English claimed it. These were not the only areas, as the Caribbean islands were claimed by all nations, majority of which were Spanish and Portuguese, while South America was vastly Portuguese and Spanish with a little French and Dutch claim. Africa on the other hand was majority French and English owned. France laid claim to the greater part of the Northwest and Britain to the Northeast. Nations such as Germany, Belgium, and Spain all laid claims in central Africa as well, but did not own as much land. Another similarity was the participation in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade by these nations. Since the need of labor grew, indigenous African were taken and sold to traders for goods or monetary value. Conditions of the ships that were used were vastly gross and vile, and often contributed to the death of many Africans before they set foot on foreign land. The colonization of also was at a cost to the original people living there. The Indians in the new world and Africans in Africa both lost lands that they maintained for many years before the arrival of European nations.

Differences in the colonization periods begin with the fact that Africans had representatives through tribal leaders in some areas. In the colonization of the Americas, native tribes were pushed out and given no say in the new government that was provided. Also upon gaining freedom after the American Civil War, black slaves were not granted a nation upon which to form. Instead they had to adapt to a society that still saw them as inferior and work through stereotypes for many years to come. New nations were formed in the new world, but mostly by the European nations that claimed them, while African nations over time gained independence and are mostly ran by Africans. Despite this, newer nations in the new world have developed quicker than new nations formed in Africa.

Slavery is the number one reason for the massive growth and success of the new world. Technology change and innovation contributed, but I can argue that slavery above everything else allowed areas in North America to thrive quickly and prosper immensely. The ability to dehumanize one group or race of people, and to consistently keep them below society for hundreds of years is astounding. Through the capability of free labor that feared and obeyed its owners for decades, with only minimal uprising, directly contributed to the economic growth of the nation and its people.

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Cotton production became so profitable that it was the main reason behind the defense of slavery and all of its wrongdoings. Plantation owners did not have to agree that it was moral but had to defend their profits that they were making through the struggle of a demoralized people and their ancestors. This profitable model was the primary reason for the succession of the Confederate States of America. States rights and other causes of the American Civil War all stem from the fact that the southern states all relied heavily on human property to be the catalysis for their success, and ultimately their failure.

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