Cash Crops and Slavery in Brazil

Cash Crops and Forced Labor

• Enslaved Africans played a crucial role in the exchange of goods between continents
• Africans introduced okra and rice to the Americas
• Tobacco and cacao grown on American plantations were sold to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East
• The introduction of nutritious foods, such as yams and manioc from Brazil, contributed to population growth in Africa

The Lure of Sugar

• The Portuguese, recognizing Brazil's ideal conditions for sugar cultivation, focused on its production
• Due to disease prevalence, there was a labor shortage leading to the importation of enslaved people from the Kongo Kingdom and Swahili coast

Slavery

• The high profitability of sugar production fueled the transatlantic slave trade
• Enslaved Africans in Brazil outnumbered the original Portuguese population, becoming a majority in the region
• Most enslaved people were sent to South America, subjected to harsh working conditions, malnutrition, lack of shelter, and rampant diseases
• "Engenhos," a term signifying the high efficiency of sugar plantations, were used to describe the vast scale of operations

Growing Cash Crops

• Spain, observing Portugal's success in agriculture, shifted focus towards cash cropping, particularly sugar and tobacco
• Cash cropping involved growing crops for sale, not for personal consumption or subsistence

African Presence in the Americas

• Despite being forced into slavery, Africans retained aspects of their culture in the Americas
• The African Diaspora refers to the dispersion of Africans across the globe while maintaining cultural practices
• Language:
  • Africans brought diverse languages, many of which were lost after a generation
  • African and European languages blended to create creole languages
  • The Caribbean Islands had a high concentration of enslaved Africans, leading to Creole dominance
  • The Gullah/Geechee language, a blend of African and English, is prevalent in South Carolina and Georgia
• Music:
  • Africans brought their musical traditions, including syncopated rhythms and percussion, influential in genres like gospel, blues, jazz, rock, country, etc.
  • Music served as encouragement and planning tool for slaves during harsh labor and escapes
  • African musical traditions merged with European Christian music, contributing to the invention of the banjo
• Food:
  • Africans contributed to the development of dishes like gumbo

Environmental and Demographic Impact

• European agricultural expansion resulted in deforestation and soil depletion
• Dense populations stressed water resources and contributed to pollution

Trading Posts in Africa and Asia

• Following Prince Henry the Navigator's expeditions, European traders established trading posts in Africa
• Local rulers exchanged slaves with Europeans for gunpowder, strengthening their empires
• The Kingdom of Dahomey thrived by raiding villages for enslaved people to sell to Europeans

African States

• Portuguese traders established relationships with the Kongo and Benin kingdoms in Central West Africa
• Art showcases European influences in Benin with "intruder" carvings and sculptures
• The expansion of maritime trading networks led to the rise of the Asante Empire and the Kingdom of the Kongo
• In 1498, Vasco da Gama's invasion of Swahili City States marked a region's decline

Japan

• Initially tolerant of Portuguese and Dutch traders and missionaries
• Japanese Christians destroyed Buddhist shrines, prompting a ban on Christian worship, restrictions on foreign travel, persecution of Christians, and expulsion of all foreigners except the Dutch
• Japan entered a period of isolation (1639-1853), allowing limited Dutch trade while continuing trade with China

China

• The Ming dynasty limited foreign influence and restricted trade after Zheng He's voyages
• The intent was to undo Mongol influence, focusing on internal stability

European Rivalries on Five Continents

• European rivalries, driven by political, economic, and religious motives, fueled imperial expansion, especially in India
• British East India Company: established commercial relationships with the Mughal Empire
• Portugal: maintained coastal trading posts, notably in Goa
• France: established a presence in Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu
• British dominance over India: British East India Company, initially focused on profits, expanded its influence by exploiting tensions and expanding inland using European-trained Indian forces called Sepoys
• British also established trading posts in West Africa

Europeans in the Americas

• Spain established New Spain after Cortes's forces overthrew the Aztecs in 1521
• In the Andes, Francisco Pizarro captured and executed the Inca ruler leading to the conquest of the Inca Empire
• Treaty of Tordesillas (1494): Spain and Portugal divided the Americas, Spain claiming land west of a dividing line and Portugal claiming territory east, including Brazil.
• French and British rivalry:
  • French aimed for control of North America, settling Quebec and trading furs.
  • British competed with the French, seeking Iroquois alliances to hinder French expansion.

Continuity and Change in Economic Systems

• Merchants in the Indian Ocean trade networks continued to engage in business, accustomed to paying taxes and fees
• Europeans sought to profit from the diverse products traded within the Indian Ocean
• Portuguese established fortified trading posts along the Indian Ocean

Spain and Gold in the Americas

• Columbus, driven by the belief in abundance of gold in Hispaniola, enslaved the Tainos
• The Spanish introduced the Encomienda system, compelling indigenous people to work in exchange for food and shelter, mimicking manorialism, a form of coercive labor
• Land grants were bestowed upon conquistadores, leading to the emergence of the Hacienda system.
• Coercive labor practices were used to cultivate crops on these vast estates

Silver

• Silver mines in Mexico (Zacatecas) and Peru (Potosí) revitalized Spain's economy
• To sustain labor needs in mines, the Spanish adapted the Inca mit'a labor system into a coercive labor system

Silver and Mercantilism

• The silver trade enriched individual Spaniards and strengthened Spain's economy
• Mercantilism, an economic system emphasizing government control, was adopted to maximize national wealth. High tariffs and colonization were key aspects
• Colonies were settlements by nationals of the controlling country, aiming to generate exports greater than imports

Continuity and Change in Labor Systems

• Europeans, seeking cheap labor sources in the Americas, turned to African slaves
• Portugal's trading fleets, arriving in the Kingdom of Kongo in the 1400s, sought slaves
• Slavery existed in Africa long before European involvement, used to assert power and wealth
• Arab traders also engaged in slave trade, though not on the same scale as the Europeans

Why Africans?

• Africans were seen as more resistant to the harsh conditions of the Americas, especially diseases
• African skills in agriculture were valuable for cultivating cash crops
• Indigenous populations dwindled due to disease and exploitation, leading to a need for slave labor

French Exploration

• Samuel de Champlain, recognizing the potential for trade and riches in the Americas, established Quebec as a trading post for fur
• The French developed a more amicable relationship with Native Americans than the Spanish, leading to slower but more established settlements

English Exploration

• John Cabot, commissioned by the English king, sought a Northwest Passage, claiming land from Newfoundland to Chesapeake Bay
• Despite lacking the same naval power as Spain, England defeated a majority of the Spanish Armada, leading to competition for land
• Jamestown, established around the same time as Quebec, marked England's first successful colony in the Americas

Dutch Exploration

• Henry Hudson, seeking a Northwest Passage, explored the East Coast and claimed the Hudson River Valley and Manhattan Island
• New Amsterdam (New York City) became a vital node in Dutch transatlantic trade, connecting furs from the North with crops (tobacco) from the South.
• Dutch merchants traded these goods with the Netherlands for manufactured goods to be sold in the Americas

Columbian Exchange

• European expansion led to the exchange of goods, plants, animals, diseases, and people between the Eastern and Western hemispheres
• Significance:
  • Agricultural products: New World plants including maize, potatoes, tomatoes and beans traveled to Europe and Asia while crops from Europe like wheat and rice became major staples in world economies.
  • Animals: Horses, cattle, sheep and pigs from Europe transformed agriculture in the Americas.
  • Diseases: Smallpox decimated native populations in the Americas while Europeans gained immunity to these disease.
  • People: Population growth in the Americas came largely from immigration of Europeans.
• This exchange, though initially positive for some, had significant and long-lasting consequences for both continents.