Exploitation of “New World” Economic: Colonies become the source of raw materials only Could not produce finished goods Could only buy finished goods from mother country Silver and Gold Mined by Natives  Natives used as slaves

Exploitation of “New World” Encomienda: the right of the Spanish monarch to demand labor or tribute (taxes) from Native Americans in a particular area Conquistadors used Encomienda to produce the Plantation System  Production of Cash Crops for profit  Sugar, Tobacco, Cotton Refusal to mine/farm meant death, debauchery, depravity, starvation, cruelty beyond measure  Many Natives refused to reproduce  Catastrophic decline in population

Exploitation of “New World” New source of labor needed for plantations Portuguese provided the new source Portuguese connections with West African tribes  Tribes needed advantage in war against other tribes  Portuguese had weapons and other finished goods that the tribes desired  Tribes had abundance of people from conquered tribes  Death and devastation of Native populations from disease and cruelty provided a lucrative market for African slaves  African Slavery transported to New World

Slavery sets up “Triangular Trade” or “Golden Triangle” Raw Materials produced in New World for transportation to Europe Cash Crops (cotton, tobacco, sugar), wood, metals Europe uses raw materials to produce finished goods Rum, textiles, weapons, gunpowder Europe trades finished goods in Africa for Slaves Slaves traded in New World for Raw Materials

Raw Materials Finished Materials Slaves Golden Triangle Middle Passage

Slavery sets up “Triangular Trade” or “Golden Triangle” “Middle Passage” is the simple description of the trip slaves had to endure to pass across the ocean into the hands of their masters in the New World

The Trip Over the Atlantic Ocean The conditions during this journey were horrible. Slaves were branded by red hot irons to show who their masters were. Then they were put in the holds of the slave ship. Men and Women were packed into separate holds. They would lay side by side on the lower decks.

Slave Ships This is a picture of what a Normal Slave ship might look like below the decks where the slaves were held.

The Trip Over the Atlantic Ocean continued... Many diseases occurred over the trip. T hey were forced to sleep in their own filth like blood, vomit, sweat, and other body wastes. They were also poorly fed and were whipped. A good number of slaves would die before they reached America.