How Did Portugal Colonize The World?

Between the expansion in Northern Africa in 1415 and the sixteenth century, Portugal was the first empire to begin colonizing the West, and was vital to the settlement of the Americas. Portugal was advanced for it’s time, leading the globalization of the Americas. Portugal used their advanced technologies to trade, and to enslave many African colonies. To determine the extent of the impact Portugal had on the world, this paper will examine the nature of slavery, and how it was used for trade and profit, the colonies Portugal occupied and their value, and the major political and social powers or Portugal in the 15th century.

To begin with, Portugal was the first empire to begin colonization. Portuguese settlers went south in an effort to find a naval route to India, so Europeans could trade with the other, wealthier powers. Although the Portuguese were the first colonizers, they didn’t occupy any large, permanent establishments other than Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea, Cape Verde and East Timor (located in modern day Indonesia). Guinea was used as a large slave trading port, which sold and traded slaves to Europe and
They returned to Portugal with the gold, and with something more powerful, ten African soldiers. Forty years after the first African was brought to Portugal, sailors gained permission to build a trading post on the Guinean shore. Although the original purpose was to export gold, ivory, and other resources, it was also one of the many European settlements that would come to export slaves. Slavery was one of the most important parts of the Portuguese empire. Slavery was the catalyst that kickstarted the mass production of goods and products, leading to a boost in trade, propagating all the other empires. Slavery was one of the main markets for Portugal. Sugar needed extensive work and attention to maintain, and slaves were perfect for this. Slaves were not treated unfairly