1. From Conquistadors to Slavery

2. Conquistadors Conquistadors- were conquerors from Spain and Portugal.
Explorers came from other European countries too, Portugal, France, Great Britain, Italy
They came to the New World to gain: gold and glory for themselves and their country.
They also wanted to help expand their country’s territories; to become Empires.

3. God, Gold, and Glory
God- missionaries were sent to spread Christianity
Gold- everyone wanted to get rich, personal riches and money for their country
Glory- explorers wanted fame for themselves and their country

4. Colonization
After the conquistadors helped destroy most of the Native population, Europeans began creating colonies in the New World
These were mostly agricultural colonies.

5. Agriculture The New World had many new crops and animals.
Including: potatoes, corn, and vanilla
The New World also had a perfect climate, and farmland for cash crops from the Old World.
Cash crops- when crops are grown for profit
Examples: tobacco, sugar, and cotton

6. Agriculture
The high demand for sugar, tobacco, and cotton led to the creation of huge plantations (big farms)
Working on these plantations was very difficult, the colonists needed people to work on the plantations.

7. Plantations
At first the Portuguese and Spanish colonists used Native Americans as slave labor.
However, the Native American population was greatly depleted because of the diseases the Europeans brought.
Native Americans also did not make good slave labor, they were weakened from the diseases, and died from being over worked.

8. Plantations
In 1518 the first shipment of slaves went from West Africa to the Caribbean, those slaves were put to work on sugar plantations.
By the 1520’s, the Spanish had introduced slaves to Mexico, Peru, and Central America.
In the early 17th century, the British introduced slaves to North America.

9. Columbian Exchange to Triangular Trade

10. Triangular Trade Africa to Americas Americas to Europe
Europe to Africa
Guns, steel, horses
Africa to Americas
Slaves
Americas to Europe
Sugar, tobacco, cotton

11. Slavery
These new African slaves were physically able to handle the hard work of the plantations better then the Native American population
Slaves became very important to the farming of sugar, tobacco, and cotton
The demand for sugar kept increasing in Europe, which meant the demand for slaves kept increasing to have workers for the plantations.

12. Slavery

13. Slavery Slaves were seen as inferior– less than human
Slaves were abused, and often times worked to death
The slave population in Latin America did not reproduce itself, most slaves died from the strain of the labor
More and more slaves had to be brought from Africa to replenish the workforce

14. Impact of Slavery Slavery helped expand colonies in the Americas
It increased $$$ colonists were making
Africans also brought their culture with them
Music
Traditions
Food
Language
Religions