African diaspora – The transatlantic spread of African people * Introduced elements of African culture such as religious ideas, musical and artistic traditions, and cuisine
Answer the following chapter questions: 1. What drove European involvement in the world of Asian commerce (think back as well to your Napoleon’s Button’s readings)?
* Desire for tropical spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cloves, and pepper – because they were used as condiments and preservatives and sometimes regarded as aphrodisiacs * Desire for products such as Chinese silk, Indian cotton, rhubarb for medicine, emeralds, rubies, sapphires * The pop. of Europe’s monarchs was recovering after the Black Death, learning how to tax more effectively, and learning how to build stronger military forces with gunpowder weapons * As cities grew, they became centers of international commerce, leading to a more capitalist economy based on market exchange, private ownership, and accumulation of capital * Problems with goods coming for East through the Middle East * Egypt was the primary point of transfer of goods from East into the Mediterranean, Venetians resented the Muslim monopoly of Indian Ocean trade * Europeans disliked relying on Venice * Europeans required to pay gold and silver, which were the only materials wanted by the East * No Asian navy was able to match that of the