Changes in Labor and its impact 1450-1750 Standard 4.2 Taken from http://resourcesforhistoryteachers.wikispaces.com/Key+Concept+4.2

Changes in Labor Agricultural production remains the main labor activity throughout the time period. Major changes occurred in: agricultural labor the systems and locations of manufacturing gender and social structures environment

What made these changes happen? -Advancements in maritime technology (such as compass, ships, sails, etc.) -Discovery of the New World -Initial monetary investments in plantations/exploration -Source of labor (slaves, indentured servants) -Initiative to attain more raw materials through expansion

Agricultural labor Traditional peasant agriculture increased and changed, plantations expanded, and demand for labor increased. These changes both fed and responded to growing global demand for raw materials and finished products. New methods in crop and field rotation Introduction of new crops from the Columbian Exchange.

Agricultural labor Agriculture became a way of exploiting underdeveloped nations. Europe used the raw materials of the America’s to make themselves wealthier (mercantilism). Before this period, agriculture was primarily used as a food source for a population. Afterwards, agriculture was also used to produce commodities such as tobacco and sugar cane (meaning agriculture also became more important in global trade and focused on cash crops).

Systems and locations of manufacturing Economic growth also depended on new forms of manufacturing and new commercial patterns. Peasants lives changed during this period due to changes in agricultural production and land enclosure, among other reasons. Industrialization changed lives. Peasant labor shifted from farms to factories. People moved to cities, so urbanization occurs. Land enclosure movements force people out of farming.

Systems and locations of manufacturing In the Americas, indentured servants began to decrease as more slaves were shipped across the Atlantic. In Europe there was a shift in the control of peasant labor. Tighter control and less freedom for the laborers emerged, especially in Russia. Slavery within Africa increased to match demands of the slave trade. Cities also grew along the eastern border of Africa. These towns became hubs of the slave trade.

Slave Trade and Its Impact Slavery enabled towns to grow in Africa, and it became a source of income for African towns. The Americas benefited from the slave trade because the increase in labor allowed for an increase in productivity. This also helped the economies of European nations because they reaped the benefits of the American colonies and new markets.

How labor systems develop in the colonial Americas. There was a need for labor force in the New World to work the tobacco and sugar cane plantations. Two types of systems developed: indentured servitude and slavery. Indentured servants were sent to the New World under a contract. These servants were promised freedom and a head right of 50 acres after 7 years of service. Slavery occurred at the same time. As the demand for workers rose, indentured servitude declined, and slavery became the main form of coerced labor.

Colonial Americas and coerced labor Colonial economies in the Americas depended on several types of coerced labor – the Encomienda system, the Mita, and slavery. Spain created an administrative system giving priority to mining and silver trade. Social and legal institutions like the encomienda and mita systems forced the native people to work in mines and commercial agriculture. The majority of slaves were sent to Brazil and the Caribbean to work the sugar plantations.

Gender and social structures As imperialism picked up speed there was a growing need for labor. Europe began to exploit what they thought of as the “inferior” races. Forced labor more commonly included natives and African Americans and created new social/racial categories. Traditional peasant agriculture increased and changed due to systematic developments. The demand for labor increased as populations rose due to a need to produce more consumer goods. Coerced labor was used for the growing global demand for raw materials and products.

The Environment Changes Little Ice Age- climate changes and cools during this period. Deforestation – Clearing land for cash crops Shipbuilding and other wood uses Burning for heat – move to coal Soil exhaustion – Cash crops Clearing land rather than rotating crops