Monday, January 13, 2014
Blog #4 - Shaping the World Economy with Free Labor
After reading "The Economics of Violence", answer the following questions:
1) Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy?
2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? Respond to one other person's opinion
3) Should the postosi mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.
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The Slave trade and the Potosi mine were so important to the world economy because Slaves are the reason crops could grow. They were the backbone of the economy, they supported it entirely! Without Slaves crops such as sugar plantations, corn, and wheat would not able to prosper. The sale of these crops was essential to the success and profit of the world economy, despite the amount of lives lost to transporting slaves to the americas. The potosi mine was also key because it was a mountain of silver, "the richest mother lode ever found..." The Incas had used silver for their temples and jewlery and were not exactly happy to share their secret however by 1545 the Spanish became aware of the mountain. potosi also caused millions of pesos to be spent on its construction, boosting the economy. I think the postosi mine and the african slave trade should be written into the national histories of each country because these topics helped boost the economy and were a significant time period in history. They were both great factors in the world economy with slaves in the slave trade crops wouldnt be able to have been grown at a rapid rate and without the postosi mine the millions of pesos invested in it, and the economy, would have never existed.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Mohammed because the Potosi Mines and the African slave trade were significant points in history where income was at an all time high. Without the slaves to provide the labor, then no income would be made to sustain the area, and the slaves were used in order to mine the silver, so without the slaves to provide the labor, then no revenue would be made to sustain the economy.
Delete-Emmanuel...
I too agree with you and i like how you stated your opinion with facts and that quote, but also it comes down to a personal opinion thing kinda cause some may argue that certain events may be more important and valid than others so thats why it wouldnt be considered as that nations history, but u made some very valid points.. VERY WEL DONE!.. muy bien amigo
Delete1) The slave trade and the Potosi mine were so important to the development of the world economy because they both caused profit. For example the slaves being traded from Africa to the Americas created a safer and easier way to transport them without the African Americans spreading disease therefore the Americas continued to grow economically without having to colonize Africa. The Potosi mine helped develop economy by making those rich since it was a mountain of silver which could be used for various things such as jewelry and temples, also it was a complex international trade network increasing profits immensely. Also this created free labor therefore people were able to just pocket the money instead of pay the workers.
ReplyDelete2) I think that modern American/European societies should share the blame for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade because in that time period both societies contributed to the negative things that occurred even if they thought they didn't do anything wrong.
3) The Potosi mine and African slave trade should be written into the national histories of each country because these two things not only contributed to the economic development positively, but it impacted the world around them as well as changed it. For example the Potosi mine became one of the richest places due to the silver it contained, therefore they were able to trade which reached all the way to the Pacific. Now Potosi are remembered for having great delicacies and luxuries. For the African Slave Trade this changed history, of course not in a good way for Africans since they were enslaved , but because triangular trade was formed creating wealth. The world changed because of this slave trade since the Americas began to create contacts with others and enjoy economic prosperity. Due to these aspects of the drastic effects the Potosi mine and African Slave Trade had, this should be included in the countries national history.
I disagree with you because yes they contributed to these horrible things they also atoned for their mistakes. They stopped the africa n slave trade there is no more slavery,etc. They have since seen their mistakes and have done things to stop it. In the past, I would have said yes they should be punished but because we are talking about modern societies, I don't think they should be held accountable for it anymore.
Delete1) Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy?
ReplyDeleteThe slave trade and the potosi mine were really important to the development of the world economy because it changed how people viewed south america. The potosi mine was the richest silver mine ever found at that time and when the Spaniards started conquering, they exploited the silver and the Indians over there. The African slaves provided cheap labor and they wouldn't die from the diseases from the Europeans like the native Americans did. Everyone wanted to trade with potosi and most did. Mexican, French, Indian, and Asian products all found its way to south america whether legal or illegal. Until the mine dried up, it was the richest and most populous place in the known world. It and there African slaves had huge effecys on the world economy.
2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? Respond to one other person's opinion
I believe that the modern american and european societies shouldn't be blamed for the horrors of the potosi mine and African slave trade because although they both were really terrible on their own, these societies in modern times have given back to these communities. They both abolished the slave trade and later slaves, to my knowledge there is no forced labor in these terrible conditions, etc. They have all trued to atyone for their mistakes of the past whether it was their fault or not.
3) Should the postosi mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.
I believe that the mine and african slave trade should be put into the history books of the countries because whether or not they acknowledged it, it did happen in their countries and it was a really big part of their pasts. It really influenced these could tries and however bad they were, they have to face up to the fact that this did happen. The potosi mine and the African slave trade were indeed prosperous and affected not only their countries but the world around them. They influenced everyone and these countries should put it in their textbooks because of the big impacts.
I actually agree with you! Honestly, I didn't understand the question because it sounded like it was contradicting itself, but your correct. Modern American and European societies shouldn't be blamed because they couldn't control what happened in the past.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with you because it wasn't the native american peoples who were going out and dragging people from their homes back in the beginning when slavery all started in the americas. Yes, they used slaves to benefit their work, but I feel as though they didn't take much place in in the begin of the slave trade as much as the Europeans did. These slaves were what Europe brought to the Americans to utilize, and that they did.
Delete1) Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy?
ReplyDeleteYes. I believe the slave trade more so was extremely important in the development of the world economy because without the slave trade beginning through the Americas the amount of commerce and trade through the world wouldn't have been a global economy. It gave the chance for things to begin being produced in the Americas, which hadn't been there. Though the slave trade was morally wrong in every way heard of, it benefited the world economy by getting it started. As for the Potosi mine, I do agree that that as well played a large role in the world economy because it's what took all the focous off Europe and Asia, and started the trans-atlantic trade routes and gave reason to come into the americas.
2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? Respond to one other person's opinion
I believe for the horrors of the slave trade the Europeans are to blame since they're the ones who began using people as slaves, they're the ones who brought the slaves to America (along with the Spaniards who in this case would be lumped in with the Europeans) and created the mentality that was to live on for decades and centuries to come that slavery was okay.
3) Should the postosi mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.
Yes. These were things that had a long lasting effect on the world, and is something to be remembered by the peoples involved. Everyone nowadays is so concerned about their ancestors and how it was like while they lived, and these people from the African slave trade and Potosi mind could be someone's ancestors and could be how people came to be, and to me that's not something to be forgotten. Plus, these things were part of the original time period where the global was finally being interconnected, and this was a huge part of the reason. Along with this came the decimation of Native American populations and tribes, which also had a long lasting effect on what the Americas are today.
I agree with the general sentiment of your answer, however I don't see a reason to blame the Americans/Europeans. In fact, they demonstrated the ability to learn from their actions (by abolishing the slave trade) and mend their ways.
Delete1. The Slave Trade and the Potosi mine were so important to the world economy because they both created income. The slaves that were being imported from Africa provided the labor to mine the silver from the Potosi mine, since no one really wanted to risk their own well being for the mines. A problem with this system of labor was that the Africans carried certain diseases that the Europeans have never seen before, so if these diseases were to come in contact with the Europeans, then there was a possibility that it could wipe them out, which was also the reason why the Europeans didn't colonize Africa. Although the silver from Potosi Mine was used by the Incas to build their temples and their jewelry, the Europeans also used the mine for themselves. The mine helped increase trade between other countries, and it also helped develop the Europeans' economy. The free labor also helped the Europeans gain more money because instead of using paid workers, they were able to use slaves so they didn't have to pay for the labor.
ReplyDelete2. I feel that American/European societies should share the blame for the horrors of the Potosi mine because both societies used slave labor to improve their societies, taking people away from their homes, and never returned. It was also quite unethical for these societies to take people from their homes in Africa, and take advantage of their hard labor to pocket money for themselves.
3. The Potosi Mine and the African Slave Trade should be recorded into national histories because both of these events affected the areas around them. For example, the Potosi Mine created a lot of revenue for the area, since there was a lot of silver that was there for quite some time. Due to the Potosi Mine, the Europeans were able to trade with people from the Pacific, exchanging silver for other goods that benefited them financially. The African Slave trade also affected many areas of the world. Africa attracted many people for trade, and for the next few centuries, people would go into Africa and trade items for slaves. Although this was an atrocity in on itself, this did affect wealth for many countries. People were able to use slaves on their plantations, and grow many different crops for trading.
-THIS IS EMMANUEL...
Manny, I agree with you when you say, “It was also quite unethical for these societies to take people from their homes in Africa, and take advantage of their hard labor to pocket money for themselves.” Had the Europeans looked upon their actions from an ethical viewpoint, they would have realized how unjust they were being to the Africans. On top of that, when the Europeans decided to not pay them a single cent and treat them as “lower” than them, I felt like they were taking things to a whole new level of immorality, to the point where they crossed the threshold between unethical and sickening. Great job on your post Manny!
Delete1) Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy?
ReplyDeleteThe slave trade and the Potosi mine were crucial to the development of the world economy mostly because of how profitable they both were. The slave trade paid for itself more or less, even though many slaves died in the journey from Africa to America, they were able to aid in the cultivation of many crops previously unknown or too difficult to grow. On top of that, slaves from Africa had developed an immunity from diseases such as smallpox, measles, malaria, and yellow fever, making them more effective than Native Americans who were very susceptible to such illnesses. The Potosi mine was also a very crucial element in the development of the world economy, not only because of its abundance in silver, but also because of the “free” labor they could get from the nearby tribes instead of having to pay them.
2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? Respond to one other person's opinion.
After reading the passage, I believe that the European societies should be blamed for the horrors of the slave trade and the Potosi mine, mostly because had the Europeans stopped for a second and came to the realization that other people’s lives are just as valuable as theirs are, they wouldn’t have committed such crimes in the first place. On top of that, all they did was exploit people for the lust for money and power, and not because they only wanted to “trade” with other people around the world.
3) Should the Potosi mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.
The Potosi mine and the African slave trade should be written into national histories because they dramatically changed the course of history. Both of these events show how the mixing of different cultures can be both prosperities and detrimental to those involved civilizations. On top of that, they also show how these events, as tragic as they are, created wealth and power for whoever was involved.
i disagree with you because i think they should have been blamed in the past, but not in the present it makes no sense to blame them for something that they didnt know the outcome of. if they had seen the repercussions of their actions earlier on they could have been blamed but now in the modern world their effects are obvious and thus is probably already known to them. i see no point in blaming them in the present for something that happened centuries ago.
Delete1) Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy?
ReplyDeleteThe slave trade was ultimately important to one, the start of the great African slave trade which continued on for centuries in the Americas. These Africans were already accustomed to the idea of slavery and were immune to European diseases and thus made great workers under tough conditioned. The silver, sugar, and tobacco paid for the Africans and required slavery thus creating a trade triangle between Africa, North America, and South America. The Potosí mine, after development, granted the peoples wants and turning Potosí into the center of complex international trade. As Potosí sent its silver all over the world and in return traded for goods that had never before entered north or South American soil.
2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? Respond to one other person's opinion
I don’t believe that they should be blamed for something that they didn’t know the outcome would be. If these people were equipped with the knowledge of the effect that they caused then the outcome of the world would have been different. International trade caused by this may not have happened and caused major afro-Eurasian depressions and other civilizations to rise to power. According to the text, there was already slavery in Africa before they were being shipped off to the Americas. Even though we know its wrong it was obviously a known and shared custom of Africans to be slaves and thus it wasn’t seen as wrong so the modern people should not be blamed for something their ancestors didn’t know was a mistake.
3) Should the Potosí mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.
I think it should be included, more so than ancient history because this trade and event caused a large impact on the world leading further on to modern slavery, African American rights, and so forth. This event is important and should show the countries the impacts they caused so that history may not repeat itself in the future as it so often does. It’s something I feel is as important as say the holocaust because even though it only affected one group at the time it spread to create meaning for the entire world and thus is important enough to learn about.
I completely agree with you Adva, I like your use of examples in your answers and they really help your opinion. " The silver, sugar, and tobacco paid for the Africans and required slavery thus creating a trade triangle between Africa, North America, and South America." I especially like this, you used the text very efficiently, and plugged in very well, because of the amount of rare items that aren't found in other countries(at least not in great amounts) a trade started. The trade was between Africa, where the Europeans took slaves from, South America where they got silver from and North America were they got more slaves from and Tobacco.
Delete-Samantha Aversano
I agree with you adva, that they didn't know the outcome of what their actions would lead to, your right that they shouldn't be blamed for what they didn't know what would happen. Yet, i am also conflicted by your argument as well, wouldn't they have seen their actions in a new light if they had maybe put themselves in the slaves shoes? Also, just because their was already slavery in africa, does that make it right to just encourage it? just because someone kills someone, is it right for you to do the same? So what if slavery wasn't 'seen' as wrong, they still didn't think about those slaves and their families lives and how they felt, they only cared about their own lives getting rich off their labor.
Delete
ReplyDelete1)The slave trade and the Potosi mine was so important to development of the world economy because without it, the amount of commerce and trade through the world wouldn't have been a global economy. Yes, I believed that the Slave trade and potosi were not the best things that have happened in history, BUT it was needed to create history. Without the Slave trade, or the Potosi mine incident many historical events may be completly different, and present day would be too.
2)I do not believe the Modern Americans or the Europeans should be blamed for the horror that happened at the Potosi mine or the African Slave Trade. They were both something that happened way before most of the modern Europeans or Americans were born. I understand that it may be my ancestors that forced Africans and Native Americans into labor with little to no reward from it, but I wasn’t there, and so I wasn’t able to stop it. If history was to repeat itself and something like Americans conquering a place just to use them as slaves was to happen again I would NOT agree with it, and I know much of America wouldn’t either, no matter what the reward was. If we were to talk about the past while this was happening, i would blame the Europeans for taking Africans from their homeland, Africans for selling their own people, and the Spaniards for depleting the Potosi mine, Aztec, and Incans from the silver that was rightfully theirs.
3) The Potosi mine and African slave trade should be written into the national histories for sure! No one should be able to say if something is important enough, or not as important that it shouldn’t be known by the whole nation. Especially when it affected so many people, such as the Spaniards, Incas, Aztecs, and even the Native American. Something so big is very important to know, it shows that when one large force conquers another it may have good outcomes, but the bad outcomes are more common. An Example was when the Europeans took African slaves to America, but most died on the journey, and spread disease. They may have gotten some cheap labor to harvest America but, it wasn’t as productive as it had been if they had just conquered the Native Americans.(Though that would have had a worse outcome: like an earlier extinction of them, or other things.) If they were to take away the Slave trade or the Postosi mine incident from history, why not just take everything else out, and not bother with history at all?
-Samantha Aversano :)
DeleteI completely agree with you and they way you mentioned that if history was to repeat itself then you and much of America wouldn't agree with it and i also agree because they wouldn't have continued if they had known the outcome of what they were doing by conquering and using Africans as slaves.
Delete1) Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy? The slave trade and the Potosi mine were so important in the development of the world economy because they make production faster since that is basically why they were taken. It was horrible yet profitable and were immune to diseases and wouldn’t die unlike the Native Americans. The Potosi mine was also important because it was the richest silver mine during that time and also they received free labor from the tribes that were close.
ReplyDelete2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? Respond to one other person's opinion.
I don’t think that modern American/European societies should share the blame because although it was horrible it brought many good things to them too. They used slave labor to improve their societies and they didn’t know what was going to happen later on or else they wouldn’t have continued with their actions.
3) Should the postosi mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.
I think that the Postosi mine and African slave trade should be written into the national history of each country because of the amount of people it affected. This affected the world and led to future slavery and it happened in their country so it should be known. This should also be known because of the slave trade the triangular trade between Africa, North America, and South America arose and this is important to know since trade affects the parts of the world that are involved.
I agree with your opinion on whether or not the postosi mine and African slave trade should be written into the national histories of each country. I totally agree when you wrote how it should be known because the reason for learning/knowing history is so we don't repeat it and also if it happened it should be recorded so people learn from their mistakes. As well as nothing should be left out if it did happen.
Delete-Nicole
1) Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy?
ReplyDeleteThe slave trade and the Potosi Mine were integral to the development of the world economy because of the immense profit it brought to empires. In fact, the Potosi Mine was the richest silver mine ever discovered at the time and the Spanish people exploited its resources to create a monopoly. In addition, the African slaves were a cheap source of labor that further helped the world economy prosper.
2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? Respond to one other person's opinion
Modern American/Europen societies shouldn’t be blamed for the atrocities that took place because they learned from their mistakes and did things to stop it. They even ended the African Slave trade after understanding that its moral implications. In any case, I see no reason to blame them for such a cause.
3) Should the Postosi mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.
The Postosi mine and the African slave trade should be written in the natural histories of each country because regardless of the morals/ethics involved, it is a part of history and should thus remain so. In other words, these events/ideas should be recorded so we can learn from the mistakes we made in the past.
I agree with your statement that Americans/Europeans aren't to blamed about the horrors of the Potosi mine or the African slave trade. Not only because the present day societies have no relations to the matter whatsoever but also due to fact that even though they once used slaves in deleterious environments for their own profits, they soon came to realize they were wrong in doing so. Good Job! :)
Delete1) Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy?
ReplyDeleteThe slave trade and potosi were significant factors in the development of history as both resulted in incredible interactions and profits for the world economy. The Europeans very shrewdly moved 10 million immunity filled Africans over the Atlantic to the Americas, as they were able to pay for the labor they provided by paying them in silver and tobacco. The potosi was a great element in the world economy as it had quickly become the center of the world in the 16th and 17th centuries as it contained the Cerro Rick peak otherwise known as the mountain of silver. This began a revolution as it became the the largest market place and flooded with merchants and miners and not to mention the thousands of Indians used as labor. "New people arrived hour by hour, attracted by the smell of silver."
2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? Respond to one other person's opinion
Modern American/European societies are not to be blamed for the horrors of the potosi mine and slave trade as we clearly see that even though the Europeans and somewhat the Spaniards began the enslaving the Africans and Indians and using them as a labor source such things don't exist anymore and the modern day societies are the reasoning behind it. Maybe in the past we would've been able to blame the societies that decided they could go about enslaving whomever to profit off of but that isn't the case.
3) Should the postosi mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.
I'd like to make the assumption that including both Potosi and the African Slave trade into the national histories of each country that it affected would only be beneficial to the student to help them understand why the world economy was revolutionized because it would effect their country's history. Africa and Europe as we learned made great impacts on many parts of the world whether it'd be through trade or all the different places they'd conquered and ruled. Potosi's silver as it said in the reading had reached across the Pacific not to mention all it's neighboring regions in South America.
-Harvind
I highly agree with you Harvind, especially when you say that the American/European should not be blamed for the past horrors. I agree with you because their just isn't any logic to blaming current societies for the havoc caused by the people of the past. It's a very unfair way to treat these people and who these societies are now isn't who those societies were then.
Delete1)-The slave trade and the Potosi mine were so important to development of the world economy because both had sparked a major boom, making the economy rich and prosperous. For example, slaves were bought to take the labor away from their ‘masters’ and earn them money (while the slaves earned nothing) and the Potosi mine caused millions of people to go to potosi mountain and mine it since it was basically made of silver. Both were basically making money through labor, slaves took the labor away, making their owners rich with their labor, and potosi mine was the promise of riches through mining for silver.
ReplyDelete2) - I believe that the modern American/ European societies should share the blame for the horrors of the potosi mine and African Slave trade, since they should know better and have morals. Though, we can’t prove or determine that if the african slave trade didn’t happen there wouldn't be slave’s or even discrimination. We can’t prove, either, if America or even europe would be the same if the african slave trade or potosi mine didn’t happen. Like the passage says “As historians, we can only look at what inventions HAS been made and how wealth HAS in fact been accumulated and redistributed. When we tell those stories, we see that bloody hands and the invisible hand often worked in concert: in fact, they were often attached to the same body” So, we can’t really just blame them, since it might or might have not happened anyways, we don’t know, so how could we blame?
3) - The Potosi mine and African slave trade should be written into national histories of each country, because it was a major effect in the world, it boomed the economy as well as had some consequences. they were both a major impact on both the america’s and europe today, both contributed in changing the economy as well as history, proving that everyone should know about them and take them into consideration.
Tina, I agree with all of your answers. I as well believe that the modern American/ European societies should be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade because both societies contributed to the negative aspects that generated upcoming events that led many people to believe that slavery was okay. I also agree with your answer for #3. The Potosi mine and African slave trade should be written into the national histories of each country because they not only played a role to the economic development and impacted the world around them.
DeleteBlog #4 - Shaping the World Economy with Free Labor
ReplyDelete1) Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy?
The slave trade was so important to development of the world economy because the slaves being traded from Africa to the Americas allowed the Americas to grow economically. The commerce and trade provided cheap labor and benefited the market. The Potosi mine was also important to development of the world economy because it started the trans-Atlantic trade routes which gave reason for people to come to the Americas. Since the Potosi mine was the richest silver mine, when the Spaniards started to conquer, they exploited silvers and the Indians who lived there.
2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? Respond to one other person's opinion
I believe that the modern American and European societies should be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade because both societies contributed to the negative aspects that generated upcoming events that led many people to believe that slavery was okay. Although they traded slaves, it was for their benefit to improve their societies. Taking people away from their homes is immoral as well as taking advantage of their labor.
3) Should the postosi mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.
The Potosi mine and African slave trade should be written into the national histories of each country because they not only played a role to the economic development and impacted the world around them. For instance, the Potosi mine became one of the richest places due to silver. This allowed them to trade which reached all the way to the Pacific. The African Slave Trade also changed history, in both a positive and a negative manner. Like mentioned previously, the African slave trade improved many societies and create connection by reaching out to other civilizations. But many Africans were enslaved, and taken advantage of their labor. These events affected the areas around them, and these aspect of the events of the Potosi mine and African Slave Trade had, should be included in the countries national history.
-Alice Mungyu
I agree with Alice on how the American and Europeans should share the blame for their actions toward the Potosi mine workers and the Africans who were thrusted into the slave trade. They are to blame because they caused danger, disease, and unhappiness with the Indians and Africans who were forced to work for their own benefit.
DeleteThe slave trade and the Potosi mine was so important in the the development of the world economy because it created a global network of trade and exchange of wealth and luxuries. For example, In Potosi due to all the silver the Europeans had laborers forced to work on the mines in order to earn silver. Since silver was very dominant in this region, trade began.Merchants began to travel and places such as Europe and Asia began to trade with South America due to it's exotic products and wealth in silver.
ReplyDeleteWell in my opinion, what the Europeans and Americans did in the 16th and 17th centuries was very wrong, but during that time Europeans were very aggressive when it came to wealth and conquest. For example, Christopher Colombus and other travelers to the New World. I would still say that they are to blame for what they done since it caused bloodshed and inhumane treatment for the workers who were forced to work in filthy conditions. They do have some blame for the actions that they caused to the slaves and Indians.
The postosi mines and the African slave trade should be included in the writings of the national histories of each country because both of these topics impacted Europe and other countries due to the global network of trade and interactions that was occurring. Due to connections and new exploration/expansion of new lands.So it should be written into the national histories of each country.
I agree with you, modern day America and Europe are to blame because they did cause a lot of harm to the Africans. I agree especially with the "inhumane treatment" and how they worked in "filthy conditions" because it's true that they were treated really bad, and it wasn't fair for them.
Delete1) Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy?
ReplyDeleteThe slave trade and the Potosi mine was so important to the development of the world's economy because of the surplus and the freakishly abundant silver mines in Potosi, making everyone trade with them and all of these different resources, items, and spices being traded all around the world in different parts of the world.These foods and items circulated around both legally and illegally.The commerce and trade was so substantial too, they were also located in such a good area that was easy to get too and everyone wanted to attain some silver so it was like a must and sorta like the new thing to do. An example that corresponds to our world today would be like IPhones and how everyone wants one and would pretty much do anything to have whats new out there.
2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? Respond to one other person's opinion
Yes i do believe that they should share the blame for these tragedies and horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade because if it wasn't for that huge demand for the silver these tragedies wouldn't have happened. You should never take advantage of someone especially of those of lesser knowledge so putting these Native Americans was just unjust and not right, also considering that many people lost there lives.
3) Should the postosi mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.
Well i believe that the Potosi mine helped spread agriculture, inventions, new ideas and foods but shouldn't be included in each countries national history and be included to like a global history not just specific nations, maybe how it impacted that country at that time but thats really it. I do believe that the African slave trade should be included because many different nations used slaves and traded many. Putting them both in one countries history and how it affected that nation and if they benefited from any of it or helped others benefit because it actually was an important time in history, but some may argue not as important as other events.
I agree with you Chris. The Native Americans did have as much knowledge of the outside world as much as the Europeans did. This sadly resulted in their undoing because that weakness caused their downfall. What the Europeans did was not morally right however in the long run they were able to thrive in and prosper and that's what really mattered to them.
Delete- Jordan
1) Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy?
ReplyDeleteThe slave trade and the Potosi mine were so important to the development of the world economy because it brought an enormous amount of profit for the empires, which they all wanted. It was a way of connecting the empires, therefore creating the network of exchange and trade. This allowed for many empires to grow economically.
2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? Respond to one other person's opinion
I believe that the modern American/European societies should not share the blame or should not be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade. That just happens to be in the past and it's not reasonable to blame the people living now for the mixes of the people living then.
3) Should the postosi mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.
The postosi mine and African slave trader should be written into the national histories of each country. I can't find a reason for these world history topics to not be included. Those events that took place really set other things in motion and it's very important for people to know that, the back story is always important. Those events are important for the way things are today and the fact that anyone would deem it unnecessary is ridiculous.
Melanie, I agree with your response of how the modern American/ European societies should not be blamed for the things that have happened in the past. I think that anyone should be judged or blamed from what they did in the past because as we live, we all make mistakes. So I also think that they should not be blamed for they things that happened in the past because people today will realize how horrible it is of the events that have occurred in the past.
Delete1) Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy?
ReplyDeleteSlave trade and the Potosi mine were so important to the development of the world economy because it was profitable. The trading allowed cheap labor and benefited the market. The trade had a very high "leakage". It created international trading where wealth and new founding occurred. Potosi mine was so important because it was basically filled with silver, which made them the land with the most silver and also having the highest prices on earth. This made it magnet for merchants, because the city's inhospitable surroundings demanded that all food and goods be imported.
2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? Respond to one other person's opinion
I think that modern American/ European societies shouldn't be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade because the society that we live in are never perfect, and after we make a mistake, we tend to learn from it. Also after every cause there is an effect to it. Even though the actions that they have started was something that was not right and it took away many people's lives, they ended up gaining something within that and by their wrongdoings they got their consequences also.
3) Should the postosi mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.
The Postosi mine and African slave trade should be written into the national histories of each country because it is an important topic where it impacted many parts of the world which should be known to many historians and others to know.
After reading "The Economics of Violence", answer the following questions:
ReplyDelete1) Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy?
The slave trade and the Potosi mine was so important to the development of the world economy because the trade of slave across the Atlantic to the Americas made the economy wealthier. The slaves were good for when it came to help mine. The Potosi was important to the worlds economy because it was the silver mine. "This remote summit in this harsh land came to affect millions of people and the course of history, because it was a mountain of silver, the richest motherload ever found."
2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? Respond to one other person's opinion.
I do not believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or to be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slaves however many good outcomes came from slaves and the potosi but slavery wasn't looked at as a wrong thing to participate in, it was just followed by their former family members footsteps. But if they looked in depth they could have came to the conclusion that it was wrong to use people who are just like them for harsh labor.
3) Should the postosi mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.
I feel like the postosi mine and African slave trade should definitely be written in to the national histories of each country so 1. history does not repeat itself, 2. Both the African slave trade and the postosi was a major impact in the way the economy worked.
-Nicole
1) Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy?
ReplyDeleteThe salve trade was important in the development of the world economy because the slaves being traded to America allowed Americas economic growth to prosper. They were cheap labor and they didn't get as sick as the Europeans, allowing them to have more people working. The Potosi mine was the cheapest silver, making people richer. They used the silver for their temples and jewelry. The silver helped expand trading which helped increase profits.
2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? Respond to one other person's opinion.
I think that the Europeans should be the ones who are blamed for what they did to the slave trade and the horrors of the Potosi mine, due to the fact that they only did these harsh things because they only cared about themselves and what happened to them. I understand that they wouldn't have known the outcome, but they should have thought about what they were doing, because every action has a consequence to it. Also, they could have realized that taking people by force was a horrid thing to do, how would have they felt if it happened to them? The Africans were brought to a place that they didn't know anything about and were treated poorly.
3) Should the postosi mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.
I think that it should be placed in history books, and should be known because its part of their culture and where they came from. Every country has things they went through good or bad and we hear about it i n classes so I think that they have a right to be known in other places. Its also good to know because later down the line, who knows if people would try slavery again and if its written down then we will know the outcome of it. The two issues, African slave trade and Potosi mine, made an impact on many people and place and because of that they are in text books, and they should stay there for a long time.
Michelle, I disagree with you because although every action has a consequence to it, I don't think the MODERN American/European societies should be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade.
DeleteMichelle I agree with how you said the Europeans should be blamed because most of it was them forcing people to do things they didn't want to do themselves and then everyone else were kind of getting involved in it too. For example with the slave trade, they forced Africans to travel across the Atlantic and risk their lives so that they can grow crops for them in Europe. Then with the Potosi mine, it started because the Spaniards were being greedy and again forcing people (Indians) to work for them.
Delete1) Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy?
ReplyDeleteSlave trade was important to the development of the world economy because slavery meant really cheap labor. It was almost like free labor. Having the slave trade between Africa and America, allowed the slave owners to benefit the most from this, having people work for them helped the economy grow quick and rapidly. For examples, slaves helped mine, which made work get done faster. Also in the future slaves were used to grow crops etc, which also helped produce things faster, which lead to the economy to grow. Similarly, Potosi was also important to the world economy because it was the silver mine. When the spanish explorers came, they discovered this gold and silver, which lead to others come to find the silver. Having a large amount of people coming for the silver lead to a population growth, which also leads to the economy to grow.
2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? Respond to one other person's opinion
I believe that modern day America and Europe societies should be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade because events causes other events that will happen in the future. Although both America and Europe both benefited from the slave trade, people don't understand that the Africans (families) don't feel the same. America and Europe might have saw slavery has a good thing because it helped the economy grow. However African families had to see their families be broken up and basically worked to death.
3) Should the postosi mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.
The Postosi mine and African slave trade should be written into the national histories of each country because history is made when there is a major change, and having this slave trade and postosi mine was a major change to the world. Economically, many countries benefited from this. For example, the African slave trade. America and Europe had basically free labor. Having free labor meant they were able to produce items to sell or trade for free, which meant free money. Same for the Postosi mine, this became one of the richest places due to the population growth because of the silver that was discovered. Once it was discovered, people started to come to find the silver and hopefully get some. This proves that both the Slave trade and Postosi mine should be written in history, because of the change in the economy.
I mean I kind of agree with you Jason, the fact that its separating families is tragic, but I feel as if people who weren't being separated as families should be slaves because they bring good to the economy, maybe if they were treated a little better, except without paying them, it would be better. The mine we can't blame because history is just history its on its own course on its own journey leading us to where we are today.
Delete1) Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy?
ReplyDeleteSlave trade was important to the world economy because slavery was free. Having slaves work for the economy is helpful because people who are slaves would work and not be paid so the government will not lose money. The potosi mine was important because silver was located in the mine, which supported ther economy since silver was very valuable during that time. It also made for a great trading item with other merchants and people around the country. Silver was also used to produce weapons such as swords to protect in combat. This was bad however because more and more people from all over started visiting the area to mine silver, although it was great for the economy, it kind of made the area crowded.
2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? To be honest, it wouldnt have been as bad as it was if it wasnt mainly focused on certain ethnical groups, because it really would have been fine I feel that they should equally share the blame because they caused themselves to get into the situation.
3) Should the postosi mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.
Everything in history should be included.....
I cant answer it like that although it should be because you cant change history. History itself should not be changed, no matter what events have happened they should be included because they were still a factor for how the world is today. If none of these events happened it could have changed history forever and also it would have kept dirty secrets of the world away from us.
1) Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy?
ReplyDeleteThe slave trade and Potosi mine were so important to the development of the world economy because without them, Europeans and Americans wouldn't have progressed much with agriculture and they would have nothing to trade and gain profit from. The slave trade was very useful for when it came to diseases because Africans had immunities from diseases spread from the Spaniards. So while in some areas 90 percent of the population was dying, the slave trade helped save populations. Also, slave trade helped the start of the triangle trade between Africa, North America and South America and it became more profitable to ship African slaves. The Potosi mine was also beneficial to the development of the economy because Potosi gained a population of about 160,000 people because of the silver mines and it turned into the center of a complex international trade network.
2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? Respond to one other person's opinion
I think the Europeans were mostly to be blamed, however the Americans did not make anything better, infact they contributed to a lot of it. With the African slave trade, Europeans forcibly took Africans away from their home all because they didn't want to work with their hands anymore, so they figured they would force someone else to do it for them. With the Potosi mine, it was all started by the Spaniards because they wanted more than what they already had. They were successful with the Incan techniques and Indian labor, but they wanted even more and they took over Indian villages and forced them to work in the silver mines.
3) Should the postosi mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.
I think they should be written into the national histories of each country because so many countries took part in the African Slave Trade and Potosi mine. It's not something that's irrelevant for people to know about. It's still a part of their history and they should know how and why these things have happened, you can't just pretend like they didn't happen. Just like many other past events, we've learned from our mistakes and I think it's important for modern day societies to learn about how our world has changed and progressed from these mistakes.
I agree with you when you say that the America's didn't even try to stop using African's, but they were being forced to use them. The Europeans wanted slaves there so things would go faster and it would benefit the mother country. Also the "Americans" were just Europeans that now lived in America so wouldn't they have the same views as Europeans?
Delete1)Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy?
ReplyDeleteThe slave trade and the Potosi mine was so important to the development of the world’s economy because it produced a lot of income. Slavery itself was a long standing and widely used institution in Africa. Although this was such a horrible thing, it was very profitable. The Potosi mine was also important because it was the richest silver mine.
2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? Respond to one other person's opinion
I don’t think that modern American/ European societies should share the blame for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade. I think that, that was in the past and they made their mistakes. Although taking people from their homes and taking advantage of others is a horrible thing, it ended. What’s done was done, and the modern American/ European societies shouldn’t be blamed for something that already ended.
3) Should the Potosi mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.
The Potosi mine and African slave trade should be written into the national histories of each country because it affected so many parts of the world. It’s important for students to be aware of what happened in the past and why it happened. With our society today, I think when more students know about the Potosi mine and African slave, they wouldn’t take so many things for granted and they would learn to appreciate how lucky we are.
1) Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy?
ReplyDelete- The slave trade and the Potosi mine was so important to development of the world economy because slavery was very cheap labor, and was profitable, and it allowed Americas economic growth to prosper. The Potosi was important because it was the silver mine, they ended up having a "mountain" of wealth and it was something they've "never seen"; it made a lot of different people richer. While the Africans in the slave trade where working all hours doing hard labor for the Americans, the Americans benefited greatly from this causing the economy to grow quickly and rapidly.
2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? Respond to one other person's opinion
-I think the American/European societies should definitely share the blame because although the Europeans were mostly responsible for the slave trade, they were not fully responsible for the acceptance and the treatment of the slaves. Both American and European societies did not accept or treat the slaves well in any manner even though they were people stolen from another continent and used for cheap, unfair and cruel labor. Both societies were selfish towards the treatment of slaves, they definitely had to have known what they were doing and knew somewhere behind the backs of their minds that it was and awful thing to do, i'm sure they wouldn't want it to happen to them. Therefore either the American and European societies do not have any justification for the treatment of the Slaves or the horrors of the Potosi.
3) Should the postosi mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.
- I believe that the Potosi mine and African slave trade should be written into the national histories of each country because this was a big and major change in history not only economically but also socially. It turned out to be a huge change in the world. For places like America and Europe it was a great economic benefit, such as in the African slave trade having basically free labor, and were basically free to do whatever they pleased with the slaves, and as well as the Potosi they both has free labor and were able to have items produced free of charge, therefore there was an easy gain in wealth. While the Potosi became one of the most fastest economic growing places, and the American slave trade made it easier for Americans to gain more wealth then ever, than i believe that it should definitely be written in text books internationally to represent examples of selfish economic growth.
The slave trade and the Potosí's played a very big part in the economy because it made a bigger trading arena. They would not only trade slaves, but also the horse, the wheel, and iron as well as obtaining firearms. The Potosí's played a bigger part because when Spain took over they were right on top of silver. It was a mountain of silver, the richest mother load ever found. They used silver for their temples and jewelry. By 1545 the Spanish were aware of the mountain which means they had a whole mountain full of silver to trade. Rich merchants and government officials turned miners invested millions of pesos in creating a maze of waterworks. To ensure water all year around in this dry land, four large reservoirs were built. Peruvian and Bolivian Indians work for wages. They preferred their substance, barter economies.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the things that the Europeans did in the 16th and 17th century were very wrong, and it lead to things such as expansion but when there is expansion there is bloodshed. I would say that explorers are to blame for this because if they didn't expand then they wouldn't have killed the native Americans. Then again if the Europeans didn't explore the Americas then what language would we be speaking now? I believe that the Europeans did this because if they didn't they would be isolated form the world because the Ottomon's got in the way, so that is why the Europeans had to get aggressive.
Yes, I do believe that this information should be in the history of both the nations because it's there history. We learn about our history so why shouldn't they learn about theirs? Even though the Europeans were aggressive there would be no America if they weren't so they should be sorta proud of that. They should also be proud because they founded new lands faster than China. So yes this should be in the history of both nations.
1. The slave trade and the Potosi mines played a instrumental part regarding economics because of the vast opportunities for wealth. A plethora of items were traded not just slaves. Slaves at that time were a necessity because they were cheap and they helped American economics greatly. The Potosi mines were contained an abundance of silver which as a result made a lot of people wealthy from it.
ReplyDelete2. In my opinion the explores should be blamed for the disasters of Slave trade and the Potosi mine. In the 16th and 17th centuries, empires increased their territory and power through violence and war. An example would be the Europeans. They were desperate for wealth due to their previous geographic isolation from the Indian Ocean and the then- occupancy of the Mediterranean by the Ottomans. Once the Americas was discovered the Europeans went to desperate lengths to rid the Americas of the previous owners being the Incas and Aztecs.
3. I strongly believe that yes in fact information regarding Slave trade and the Potosi mines should be written into national histories of each countries because there is an abundance of historical significance that occurred. The great amount of wealth Europeans received and the amount of labor Africans had to endure should be documented because it is one of the many examples of how the economy grew and how people became successful regardless of the cost.
- Jordan
I happen to disagree with you Mr. Terio. The Europeans weren't the only reason for these things to happen, The Africans assisted in the slave trade and actually helped to sell their own people! It wasn't like the Europeans showed up in Africa, saw the Africans and were like "ooh! Kill 'em!". Also the Potosi mines weren't entirely the Spanish fault, because they were greeted like gods and if I'm correct, one of the emperors said that the Spanish were a "Meek Mill", or in layman's terms a "Kendrick Lamar diss".
DeleteThe Potosi mine was really important to the development of the world economy, because it affected the economies of many nations positively. The spaniards in South America along with the Spanish in Europe made tons of money, because they were able to exploit the silver in the mine and boost the economy tremendously! The cheap slave labor provided by the Africans helped to fuel mining as well as crop cultivation of sugar, wheat, maize, and others. There was also a larger economy for slaves in Africa, making some kingdoms rich off of the selling and transporting of slaves to the Europeans.
ReplyDeleteThere is some controversy over if the Europeans are to blame for the atrocities of the slave trade and the Potosi mine fatalities, but in all honesty, I feel that only the Potosi mine casualties should be pinned on the Europeans, because they forced the natives to work in harsh conditions in order to supply the silver, so in a sense you can blame the Europeans since they didn’t have any right to take over. The slave trade however was aided by Africa! It wasn’t like the Europeans took Africans, they were supplied Africans by Slave trading empires. So the Europeans should not be blamed solely for the African slave trade.
When it comes to writing history, everything should be included, especially things as influential and important as the slave trade and the Potosi mine. The Potosi mine single handedly helped to boost Spanish economy so much that they went from a poorer empire to one of the wealthiest,also, the slave trade was essential in influencing how Africa was shaped culturally today, and even if it may have been for the worse, it was still a major cause. Nothing should ever be left out of history no matter how harsh it may have been, I mean after all we still talk about the Holocaust and that was in my opinion the most atrocious event in human history!
I agree with Zach's point of view here. The African kings are chiefly responsible for the allowance of widespread slavery. They did this in part to hold their positions and maintain some sense of respect or need for economic transactions to keep their faltering empires going. Europeans exhibited typical behavior in the enslavement of Africans as they had to other minority groups before the age of exploration, that of subjugating minorities or executing those who wandered away from religious belief. The Europeans held an ignorant viewpoint on many things, not to mention shortsighted, which is likely why they felt no guilt in enslaving people and forcing them to do their work - it was all for money.
Delete1. The slave trade was crucial to the development of the world economy because it relocated millions of Africans and placed them into the New World for work by colonists running short on native slaves, who were dying off quickly due to disease. This was a very important point in the world's development because it allowed colonists to create gigantic plantations of crops that could be sold back to the Old World for a massive profit, at the expense of the many Africans who perished during the voyages and to those who survived that were subsequently enslaved. The development of world economics came to fruition because of slavery, which gave the Americas a cheap quick form of labor to put out large quantities of goods to sell. It also solidified the disinterest in colonizing Africa until after the rush for American goods had ended centuries later. The Potosi mines were a huge bucket of silver waiting to be extracted and sold back to interested groups, i.e everyone in Europe. They were another huge economic boom that brought prosperity around their area, so long as the silver kept running.
ReplyDelete2. Absolutely not. People today have no involvement in what crimes or happenings their far off ancestors were responsible for. The slave trade was an ugly happenstance that came to being due to the unluckiness of the crumbling African kingdoms, that needed to sell off their own people to stay somewhat functional or to survive. The cruelties colonists inflicted on slaves and Native populations were driven by greed, something that had become commonplace among trading societies rushing to make profits at the expense of others when necessary. While the Potosi mine was an engine of labor and injustice, it was a massive money maker that influenced the trade and interest in silver around the world, which continues today. Had these events not happened, we'd like live in a very different society today, likely one years behind, since we would not have any fast trade or cultivation that would allow ideas and wealth to spread quicker.
3. They should be written into most books. The Mine was a remarkable feat for a colonial society, and it shows the drive human beings take to build up quickly as long as money is promised in the end. The slave trade impacted the world's views on Africans, and still is the core of racial tensions and bigotry exhibited in societies today, since these people were brought up to believe that the Africans were tools to be used for quick profit, and this idea has watered down into today's generations of racists.
3.
1) Why were the slave trade and the Potosi mine so important to development of the world economy?
ReplyDeleteThe slave trade and the Potosi mines were so important because of the amount of wealth that both of these crucial economic breakthroughs were able to bring in. The slave trade started because of all native slaves dying from disease and as a result the colonists needed the aid of slaves to help them create huge plantations which resulted in a mass production of crops.the potsoi mines were important because this brought in a huge amount of silver into the New World Economy.
2) Do you believe that modern American/European societies should share blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade? Respond to one other person's opinion
No, I do not believe that modern day people should share the blame or be blamed for the horrors of the Potosi mine and African slave trade because modern day people had nothing to do with what happened in the past. Their is no justification for what happened to the slaves, but their should be no reason why modern day Europeans should be blamed
3) Should the postosi mine and African slave trade be written into the national histories of each country or are these world history topics that should not be included? Explain your answer.
I think they should be written into national histories as a constant reminder of when human greed caused a huge amount of evil. These two topics are very important in history in general because they caused a huge amount of growth in the global economy at the costs of the lives of slaves.