1. Treatment of Native Peoples
Europeans believed in white supremacy – European culture, religion, language was better than that of the natives
Forced natives to become Christians
Enslaved natives
Image: Mectezuma II welcoming Cortes and the Spaniards
In 1519, the Spaniards arrived at Tenochtitlan and encountered the beautiful, powerful, and gigantic empire. Moctezuma II was the Aztec ruler at that time and when he saw Cortes and his men he believed they were Gods. Moctezuma II believed Cortez was the Aztec God called Quetzacoatl, a feathered serpent who was patron of arts and crafts and the god of self-sacrifice. Because of this belief, the Aztecs treated the Spaniards as true gods and gave them an abundance of exquisite gifts. The Spaniards attacked the Aztecs and took their leader, Moctezuma II, hostage. After Moctezuma II was killed, the Spaniards defeated the great empire in 1521 after many Aztecs fell ill to the Spanish diseases.

2. Slavery Native Americans did not make good slaves
Contracted diseases easily; millions died from epidemics of small pox, measles, influenza
Could not work in hot, dry conditions; many died from heat exhaustion, overexposure
Image: Smallpox had a devestating effect on Native American populations.

3. Slavery Natives knew the area well so they could escape easily
As a result, Spain began to import Africans as forced labor on sugar cane plantations in the Caribbean
Image: Cattle, working in tandem with African slaves, were widely used in the production of sugar, which was the chief colonial export in tropical regions of the New World

4. Triangular Trade Ships sailed between Europe, Africa, and the Americas
European ships carried manufactured goods, such as knives, swords, guns, cloth, and rum
African ships carried enslaved people
American ships carried raw materials, such as sugar, molasses, cotton, and tobacco
Image: Triangle Trade from
Ships from Europe brought manufactured goods to Africa. The Manufactured goods were traded for slaves. These slaves were brought to the Americas. In the Americas, the slaves were traded for raw materials: molasses, timber, and later, tobacco and cotton. The raw materials were shipped to Europe where they would be processed into manufactured goods.

5. Triangular Trade
Image: Triangle Trade from
Ships from Europe brought manufactured goods to Africa. The Manufactured goods were traded for slaves. These slaves were brought to the Americas. In the Americas, the slaves were traded for raw materials: molasses, timber, and later, tobacco and cotton. The raw materials were shipped to Europe where they would be processed into manufactured goods.

6. Middle Passage Journey from the west coast of Africa to the Americas
10-24 million Africans brought on slave ships
1 in 5 Africans did not survive the journey
Image: Drawing of Africans on a slave ship
Although danger lurked constantly throughout the voyage across the Atlantic, the greatest danger to the slave ships always came when they were loading on the African coast. Once aboard the ships, the Africans realized that they were being sent far away from home, and often there was violence even before the ship set sail. Most of these uprisings were easily put down, but many Africans jumped overboard, choosing to drown or be devoured by sharks rather than be taken from their homeland.
Once aboard the ships the blacks would be packed below deck. Most ships, especially those of the later 18th century, carried a huge quantity of slaves who were often forced to lie in spaces smaller than that of a grave, or in some cases stacked spoon-fashion on top of one another. Life ‘tween decks’ was extremely uncomfortable – overcrowded, inadequate ventilation, little or no sanitation.

8. Middle Passage Image: Drawing of Africans on a slave ship
Although danger lurked constantly throughout the voyage across the Atlantic, the greatest danger to the slave ships always came when they were loading on the African coast. Once aboard the ships, the Africans realized that they were being sent far away from home, and often there was violence even before the ship set sail. Most of these uprisings were easily put down, but many Africans jumped overboard, choosing to drown or be devoured by sharks rather than be taken from their homeland.
Once aboard the ships the blacks would be packed below deck. Most ships, especially those of the later 18th century, carried a huge quantity of slaves who were often forced to lie in spaces smaller than that of a grave, or in some cases stacked spoon-fashion on top of one another. Life ‘tween decks’ was extremely uncomfortable – overcrowded, inadequate ventilation, little or no sanitation.

9. African Captives Thrown Overboard Sharks followed the slave ships!

10. Impact of European Expansion
Native populations ravaged by disease.
Influx of gold, and especially silver, into Europe created an inflationary economic climate. [“Price Revolution”]
New products introduced across the continents [“Columbian Exchange”].
Deepened colonial rivalries.