Transatlantic Economy, Trade Wars, and Colonial Rebellion AP European History Mrs. Tucker

Main Points Europe’s concept of mercantilism and empire- building. The nature and decline of Spain’s vast colonial empire in the Americas. The structure of slavery in the Americas, and the role of slave labor in the Atlantic economy's plantation system. The wars in Europe and the colonies, particularly the Seven Years’ War. The conflict between Britain and its colonies, and its outcome in the War of American Independence.

European Overseas Empires There have been four stages in Europe's interactions with the rest of the world: 1), by the end of the 17th century, discovery and settlement of the New World, introduction of the transatlantic plantation economy, and market penetration of Southeast Asia; 2) by the 1820s, mercantile empires, with resulting competition among European powers, and independence in most of the Americas;

European Overseas Empires, Continued 3) in the 19th century, formal empires ruled directly by Europe; and 4) by the late 20th century, decolonization. Prior to colonial independence, Europeans generally treated indigenous peoples as inferior. Ships and guns gave Europeans insurmountable advantages. This chapter covers the mercantile period.

Mercantile Empires Mercantilism, an economic theory based on the economy of scarcity, assumed that the growth of one nation came at the expense of another. The goal of the mercantile system was for each European power to monopolize trade with its colonies, with the profits – in the form of gold and silver bullion – enriching each ruling country..

Mercantile Empires Colonial rivalries could grow into conflicts between European nations. French-British rivalry was intense in the West Indies and in India. Dutch power in what is now Indonesia was acknowledge by other Europeans

Spanish Colonial System Spain administered her colonies as if they existed to supply precious metals to Spain and, later, to increase Spanish wealth and power through trade. Spain attempted to impose monopolistic control on trade with the colonies, by strictly restricting the American ports to which Spanish ships could sail and outlawing any other shipping. Smugglers and buccaneers, however, always found ways to carry out their work. The political system under which the Spanish colonies were administered concentrated power in the crown; local officials were appointed through royal patronage.

Spanish Colonial System In 1700, when the French Bourbon king Philip V took the Spanish throne, he attempted to introduce effective French administrative techniques to Spain's empire. Spain was defeated in Europe's mid-18th century wars, and King Charles III tried to use imperial reform and colonial trade liberalization to bolster Spain's economy. He was somewhat successful in the immediate term, but his actions also stoked resentments that would soon erupt into colonial rebellion.

Black African Slavery, the Plantation System, and the Atlantic Economy The trans-Atlantic plantation economy created social, political, and production systems unlike any others in world history. Although slavery was practiced in many other times and places, the extent to which the plantation economy depended on slave labor made it unique.

Black African Slavery, the Plantation System, and the Atlantic Economy The racist element in the justification for the trade in black African human beings left a cultural legacy that is still with us. The sheer volume and economic impact of the slave trade itself, and the goods produced by slave labor, make slavery one of the most important elements in the history of the Americas, and an important factor in the histories of Europe and of Africa as well

Mid Eighteenth Century Wars In the mid-18th century, the European state system encouraged warfare. Monarchs believed they could use war to further their own ends without risking the lives of their subjects or the stability of their societies. Overseas empires, and central and eastern Europe, were the objects of repeated international rivalries. The 1739 British-Spanish conflict, known as the "War of Jenkins' Ear," became the opening salvo in a period of European warfare that lasted until 1815.

Mid Eighteenth Century Wars Prussia, Austria, France, and other European nations fought wars that spilled over into colonial conflicts. In the course of these wars, Maria Teresa preserved the Habsburg Empire, at the cost of power-sharing with the nobility and with the Hungarian Magyars. Frederick II saved Prussia, becoming "Frederick the Great." Britain's secretary of state William Pitt the Elder set his country on the path to the global dominance it would enjoy for the next century and a half, by deploying unprecedented numbers of troops into colonial battlefields.

The American Revolution and Europe The Treaty of Paris of 1763, ending the Seven Years' War, left Britain with the problem of financing its empire, and the problem of administering vast new North American territories. Starting in 1764, Britain passed a series of taxes on the American colonies that were often even lower than existing taxes, but that Britain intended to collect more aggressively. In each case, American resistance led Britain to rescind most of the legislation. Tensions increased. By 1776, the colonists' Continental Congress declared independence from Britain.

The American Revolution and Europe France and Spain entered the war as American allies, and the Americans victory was ratified at the 1783 Treaty of Paris. Through this period, Britain's King George III had alienated Whigs and convinced radical political theorists that he wanted to impose tyranny. The writings and examples of John Wilkes in Britain, and the revolutionaries in America, provided a new vocabulary and models of liberty and sovereign government.