Warning: Undefined variable $num in /home/shroutdo/public_html/courses/wp-content/plugins/single-categories/single_categories.php on line 126
Warning: Undefined variable $posts_num in /home/shroutdo/public_html/courses/wp-content/plugins/single-categories/single_categories.php on line 127
Chapter 5 of The Atlantic World by Egerton et al. describes how the movement of people and material from place to place led to settlements, labor regimes, and migrations. Europeans used natives as well as slaves to extract fortune and build upon their settlements. In South America, the Spanish used the natives “for slavery to extract minerals for trade (156).” In England, people like John Wise hopped aboard a ship bound for Barbados “looking for economic opportunity (164).” Although he chose to migrate, some were actually lured or taken aboard ships to work in forced labor. In addition, Egerton also notes how anyone who “rejected Spanish rule and Christianity was swept into forced labor (151).” This was like an early form of human trafficking, kidnapping people to force them into labor. I like how Marissa’s Post uses certain people to help us understand who was involved in the labor, migration and settlements of this time in Atlantic History. Using these people as references determine the circumstances and reasons forthese people’s involvement in the labor movements.
Of course, you can`t have labor without a settlement. Santo Domingo witnessed the arrival of cathedrals, universities, and hospitals brought by the Spanish, who used this town for agriculture and extracting money through enslaving the natives. Sometimes, settlements were often determined by the abundance of resources and relations with natives. New Netherland, a former trading post, become a thriving colony because of the riches it obtained from the prosperous fur trade. In addition to fur, Egerton notes they established a food trade network with the Caribbean. He mentions how “Jamaica’s Port Royal and Tortuga were pirate havens for men like the famous Captain Henry Morgan (165)”.
In conclusion, labor, migration, and settling in certain areas created a larger Atlantic network with Europe, Africa (with the slaves), and the Americas. These intricate networks would not be here today had it not been for these actions taken on natives and Europeans alike.
Egerton, Douglas, Alison Games, Donald R. Wright, Kris E. Lane, Jane G. Landers. The Atlantic World: A History, 1400-1888. Wheeling, IL: Harlan Davidson, 2007.