Chapter 8 The Transatlantic Economy, Trade Wars, and Colonial Revolution Chapter 8 The Transatlantic Economy, Trade Wars, and Colonial Revolution Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. General James Wolfe mortally wounded by the French in Quebec, 1759. Overview Mid-18th c. renewal of European warfare: Austria vs. Prussia over dominance of central Europe Great Britain vs. France for commercial & colonial supremacy Outcomes: Prussia emerges as great power, Great Britain gains world empire Peace results in restructuring of taxation & finance, leading in turn to: American Revolution Continental enlightened absolutism Continuing French financial crisis Reform of Spanish South American empire Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. European Overseas Empires Four phases of European contact with the New World: I. Discovery, exploration, conquest, settlementfrom Columbus to end of 17th c. II. Mercantile empires & great power trade rivalries; slavery; colonial independenceto 1820s* III. 19th-c. The New Imperialism: empires in Africa & Asia IV. Decolonization, 1945 to late-20th c. Source of European world domination: technology (ships & guns) Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Old Custom House Quay in London, 18 th century. Mercantile Empires, Early 18th c. Boundaries Set by 1713 Treaty of Utrecht Spain: South America except for Brazil; Florida, Mexico, California & N. American Southwest; Central America; Caribbean possessions Britain: N. Atlantic seaboard, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland; Caribbean possessions; trading posts on Indian subcontinent France: St. Lawrence, Ohio, & Mississippi river valleys; Caribbean possessions; trading posts in India & West Africa Netherlands: Surinam (S. America); Cape Colony (S. Africa); trading posts in West Africa, Sri Lanka, & India; also controlled trade with Java (Indonesia) in SE Pacific Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Mercantilist Goals Underlying economic theory of 18th-c. empires; the driving force of empire. International trade as zero-sum game; whoever gets the most gold wins. Based on the assumption that there is a set amount of wealth in the world. One nation can only get rich at the expense of another. Colonies meant to trade exclusively with home country; hard to enforce because it was more profitable to trade with other colonies. Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Mercantilism: Mapping the Empires: Britains empire: Red Frances empire: Blue Spains empire: Green Dutch empire: Yellow * West Indies = The Caribbean islands French-British Rivalry N. American colonial quarrels over St. Lawrence River valley, upper New England, Ohio River valley; fishing rights, fur trade, Native American alliances Biggest area of rivalry: West Indies tobacco, cotton, indigo, coffee, sugar. Sugar became a staple, not a luxury anymore. India: Both granted legal monopolies to privileged charter trade companies. Trading outposts called factories and trade companies expanded their control over India as the Mughal Empire decayed. Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. The Spanish Colonial System Colonial Government The technical link between New World and Spain was crown of Castile (since Isabella). Top-down administration, almost no self- government. Nominated viceroys of New Spain (Mexico) and Peru. Viceroyalties were divided into judicial councils called audencias, and presided over by officers called corregidores. All political power belonged only to those born in Spain (peninsulares) Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. The Viceroyalties of Latin America in 1780 Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Trade Regulation Only one port authorized for use in American trade. Casa de Contratacin (House of Trade Contracts) in Seville, Spain, regulated all trade with New World. Functioned to serve Spanish commercial interests (precious-metal mines). Flota system tried to ensure Spanish economic hegemony. Fleet of merchant ships, escorted by war ships, would bring gold and silver bullion back to Spain each year. Could not trade outside of the flota system. Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Colonial Reform Under the Spanish Bourbon Monarchs Crucial early 18th-c. change: War of the Spanish Succession (17011714) and Treaty of Utrecht replaced Spanish Habsburgs with Bourbons of France. Philip V, grandson of Louis XIV (r. 17001714) and successors tried to revive decaying trade monopoly, suppress smuggling and piracy. Charles III (r. 17591788): most important imperial reformerroyal representatives favored over local councils; improved imperial economy, but introduced tensions between Spanish from Spain and creoles (Spanish born in America). Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Colonial Reform Under the Spanish Bourbon Monarchs peninsulares: Spanish-born nobles. creoles: descendants of peninsulares; Latin America, deprived of some political powers. Only peninsulares and creoles had any real power. Mestizos and mulattoes Slaves: both African and Native. Colonial Reform Under the Spanish Bourbon Monarchs Review question: How did the reforms of the Bourbon Spanish monarchs and the social structure of Latin America bring the empire even more directly under Spanish control? African Presence in Americas Slavery had always existed in some form in parts of Europe, but from 16th c., became fundamental to the British & Spanish imperial economies (plantation economy). Driven by labor shortage, esp. in the Caribbean (West Indies) Supplied by internal African warfare: slave markets on West African coastnot imposed by Europeans, but preexisting Began in 16th c. in Spanish America, 17th c. in British America Slave trade grew in 18th c. because of low fertility rate and high mortality rate of established slavesdifficult to create stable self-reproducing population Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. The West Indies, Brazil, and Sugar Plantations Sugar plantations were incredibly deadly places. Murderous commodity High slave mortality rate More slaves were consistently brought from Africa. Real African cultural presence and multi-racial societies formed in Latin America. Blend of Euro and Afro cultures, languages, and religions. Slaves outnumbered whites: by 1725, 90% of Jamaicas population was black slaves. Slavery and the Transatlantic Economy Slave trade: dominated by Portuguese & Spanish in 16th c., Dutch in 17th c., and English in 18th c. Triangular trade: American prosperity was dependent on slavery. Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. The Triangular Trade Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. The Slave Trade, The Experience of Slavery Estimated 9 million Africans or more brought to Americas over 4 centuries. Seasoned slaves worth more than those newly arrived. Maintenance of ethnic bonds in the New World African language, religion. Generally accepted that all the slaves in plantation societies led difficult lives with little variation Some slaves mixed Christianity with African religions One of factors that continued slavery was racist ideology Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Brazilian Sugar Production Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Slaves in the American South: Some artists disguised their harsh realities by depicting rare moments of joy in paintings. Mid-Eighteenth-Century Wars War of Jenkins Ear (1739) English-Spanish competition in West Indies British declared war on Spain in 1739 Though it was a minor event, it opened the way for even more colonial disputes to turn into full-scale wars. Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. War of the Austrian Succession (17401748) In Central & Eastern Europe Prussia invades (Habsburg) Silesia in east Germany. France (Austrias natural enemy) supports Prussia. This strengthens Prussia- BIG mistake France! In turn, Britain defended Austria. In America, France even supported Spain against Brit. Maria Theresa maintains Hapsburg empire as a major political power Ended with Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748 Prussia retained Silesia, Spain renewed Treaty of Utrecht with Britain so they could import slaves from Spanish colonies Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Let others make war, happy Habsburgs make children The Diplomatic Revolution of 1756 MAJOR shift in alliances. France and Britain clash in New England Great Britain joined forces with Prussia, Convention of Westminster. Why did Britains George II side with Prussia? France and Austria agreed to defensive alliance. Why did Austria want to side with France, its sworn enemy? Marks beginning of French-German rivalry. Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Seven Years War (17561763) European Theater: England and Prussia versus France and Austria. Colonial Theater: Britain thrashes France 1. Aug 1756: Frederick II invades Saxony. 2. William Pitt and North America: How does Britain win America on the plains of Germany? 3. Treaty of Paris 1763 Treaty of Paris made Britain into a world power, through World War II Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Robert Clive in India Europe and the American Revolution Resistance to the Imperial Search for Revenue Caused by problems of revenue collection common to all powers after Seven Years War. Taxes had risen domestically in Britain. Cost of organizing new territory in N. America was too high. British tried to tax colonies to pay for war. Colonies responded that they wouldnt be taxed without representation. Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Europe and the American Revolution Sugar Act and Stamp Act (1764, 1765) Parliament considered these legal and valid because it had been approved by Parliament, and would be used in N. America anyway. Colonists believed only they could tax themselves since they had no representation. Started cycle of taxation, resistance, and clashing that would continue for 10 years. Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. The Crisis and Independence Colonies resisted several measures designed to raise money, including Intolerable Acts Charles Townshend, Brit finance minister. Taxes on imports; all were repealed except tea- even though the price of tea actually went down! Closed port of Boston, reorganized Mass. Gov, allowed quartering of troops, and removed trials of customs officers back to England. Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. The Crisis and Independence Thomas Paines Common Sense aroused revolutionary sentiments First Continental Congress: Sep 1774 Lexington and Concord: Apr, June 1775 Second Continental Congress: May 1775 Declaration of Independence: July 1776 After Battle of Saratoga (1778), France joins. Becomes a European conflict 1781: Battle of Yorktown. Washington defeats Cornwallis 1783 Treaty of Paris: Colonies as independent Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. American Political Ideas Influence of English ideas & events in America Revolution of 1688 of England Writings of John Locke Commonwealthmen: British writers who criticized Walpoles government; had little impact in Britain, but Americans were reading it! Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Events in Great Britain John Wilkes affair Arrested after criticizing treaty with France in print Elected several times to Parliament but king would not sit him Had many supporters: Wilkes and Liberty! Influence of American ideas & events in Britain Appeal to popular opinion Broadly rejected monarchy, social hierarchies Yorkshire movement demanded changes in parliamentary elections Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved. Broader Impact of American Revolution Demonstrated to Europe possibility of government without kings. Trade between Britain and America actually increased. Idea of preserving traditional liberties. Reject social status as a means to power. Genuinely radical movement that made Europeans question traditional rule. Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ All rights reserved.