A Changing World Final Paper
‘The discovery of America and that of the passage to the East Indies by the Cape of Good Hope, are the two (2) greatest events recorded in the history of [human] kind” – Adam Smith, in the Wealth of Nations,1776. Think about why he and many other notables supported this statement, especially the discovery of America. What was so important about this New World across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe? How did it change globalization in terms of trade, culture, societies, innovations, new and old world exchanges, and in other ways?
You have already developed a thesis statement and developed an outline in which you identify three (3) main points relevant to your topic. Now you will develop the final paper in which you explore your main points in detail.
Write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you:
Introduce your paper with your previously crafted thesis statement.
Identify three (3) major aspects that demonstrate old and new world exchanges. Explain your responses with specific examples and details.
Identify three (3) specific groups that were affected by this global event and provide two (2) examples for each group describing how the group was affected.
Summarize how this discovery affected the life of the average working American during the colonial period. Use specific examples and details.
Use at least three (3) academic references besides or in addition to the textbook. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA style or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the professor's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
Recognize the main factors that led to America’s early development.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in American History to 1865.
Write clearly and concisely about American History to 1865 using proper writing mechanics.
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A CHANGING WORLD THESIS AND OUTLINE 1
A CHANGING WORLD THESIS AND OUTLINE 2
A Changing World Thesis and Outline
HIS 104: American History to 1865
Thesis
The discovery of America changed the world by bringing new routes of trade, introduction of slavery, exchange of animals, new crops/plants and many different diseases.
1. Determine three (3) major aspects that demonstrate Old and New World exchanges.
i. Crops/Plants
i. New World
1. Corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, manioc, peanuts, tomatoes, squash (incl. pumpkin), pineapples, papaya and avocados (Crosby, n.d.).
ii. Old World
1. Rice, wheat, barley, oats, rye, turnips, onions, cabbage, lettuce, peaches, pears, sugar (Crosby, n.d.).
ii. Disease
i. European carriers of smallpox and measles affected Native Americans
ii. Yellow fever brought to the Americas from Africa through Atlantic slave trade
iii. Syphilis said to come from the Americas and carried to Europe
iii. Animals
i. New World
1. Dogs, llamas, guinea pigs, fowl (Crosby, n.d.).
ii. Old World
1. Dogs, horses, donkeys, pigs, cattle, goats, sheep (Crosby, n.d.).
2. Five (5) Groups Affected By this Event.
i. Africans
i. Introduction of corn to Africa was primary source of food for peasants
ii. Cash crops like tobacco demanded a large amount of labor. When crops took off, demand for labor increased dramatically, giving birth to chattel slavery (Grolle, 2013).
ii. Native Americans
i. Smallpox caused many deaths
ii. European colonization and crop expansion intruded on Native American lands. Natives didn’t understand the “claim” to land and felt it was there for all to use and benefit from (McNeill, n.d.).
iii. Spanish
i. Spain took control of much of the southern tip of the Eastern Americas (Florida), creating wealth for the nation (Grolle, 2013).
ii. Christopher Columbus, upon discovering America, brought crops which allowed for trade with the natives
iv. Europeans
i. Suffered from sexually transmitted disease (syphilis)
ii. Colonizing the Americas also brought freedom to practice religion and freedom from religious persecution for some Europeans (McNeill, n.d.)
v. Chinese
i. Silver rush due to Europeans
ii. With more and more European traffic came more and more silver, eventually causing inflation, tax deficits, bloody unrest and, ultimately, the collapse of the regime (Grolle, 2013).
3. Creation of new global trade routes affected the occupations and lifestyles
i. Export of agricultural goods (Olson-Raymer, n.d.)
ii. Profitable single crop farmers
iii. High profit margins and increase of slave population, as slave labor was cheap
iv. Exportation of natural resources
v. Greed (capitalism)
References
Crosby, A. (n.d.). The Columbian Exchange, Native Americans and the land, nature transformed, TeacherServe, National Humanities Center. Retrieved from http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/nattrans/ntecoindian/essays/columbianb.htm
Grolle, J. (2013, September 20). The 'Columbian Exchange': How discovering the Americas transformed the world. Retrieved from http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/a-923220.html
McNeill, J. R. (n.d.). The Columbian Exchange. Retrieved from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-twoworlds/1866
Olson-Raymer, G. (n.d.). The Colonists - What they created. Retrieved from http://users.humboldt.edu/ogayle/hist110/colonial.htmle