Transition to the Modern World
Wikimedia Commons · Isaac Pérez Bolado · CC BY-SA 3.0Colonization and the Slave Trade
European colonization of the Americas and the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans.
60-Second Review
Express reviewA condensed, point-by-point summary of the module, for reviewing right before a test or exam.
- Spanish Colonial Administration: Viceroyalties and the Machinery of Empire. Spain ruled its American empire through viceroyalties, the Council of the Indies, and a regulated fleet system.
- Forced Labor and the Colonial Economy: Silver, the Mita, and the Encomienda. Colonial wealth rested on Andean silver mining and on forced indigenous labor systems like the mita and encomienda.
- Caste, Church, and Conversion in Spanish America. Colonial society was structured by the sistema de castas while the Church drove evangelization and control.
- Rival Colonial Models: Portuguese Brazil, English, French, and Dutch America. Portugal, England, France, and the Netherlands built colonial systems markedly different from Spain's.
- Origins of African Slavery and the Organization of the Atlantic Trade. Portugal pioneered Atlantic slaving, and Spain relied on asiento contracts to supply its colonies.
- Capture, the Middle Passage, and the Machinery of the Slave Ship. Captives were marched to the coast in chains and packed into slave ships for a brutal Atlantic crossing.
- Plantation Slavery Across the Americas and the Many Forms of Resistance. Enslaved Africans built the Americas' plantation economies while resisting through revolt and marronage.
- Abolition, Illegal Trafficking, and the Long Legacy of the Slave Trade. Formal abolition unfolded over a century, but illegal trafficking and slavery's legacy persisted far longer.
This module continues after "Voyages of Exploration and Conquest" in the syllabus. If you haven't reviewed it yet, it may help set the context.
Key points
11. Spanish Colonial Administration: Viceroyalties and the Machinery of Empire22. Forced Labor and the Colonial Economy: Silver, the Mita, and the Encomienda33. Caste, Church, and Conversion in Spanish America44. Rival Colonial Models: Portuguese Brazil, English, French, and Dutch America55. Origins of African Slavery and the Organization of the Atlantic Trade66. Capture, the Middle Passage, and the Machinery of the Slave Ship77. Plantation Slavery Across the Americas and the Many Forms of Resistance88. Abolition, Illegal Trafficking, and the Long Legacy of the Slave Trade
Visual module map
1Spanish Colonial Administration: Viceroyalties and the Machinery of Empire
2Caste, Church, and Conversion in Spanish America
3Origins of African Slavery and the Organization of the Atlantic Trade
4Capture, the Middle Passage, and the Machinery of the Slave Ship
5Abolition, Illegal Trafficking, and the Long Legacy of the Slave Trade
Alternative visual view: a simplified sequence of some of the module's key points, in their order within the syllabus.
Your module mastery
0% (overall measurement) Approximate breakdown by skill
Understanding of historiographical debate0%
A rough estimate based on the key points reviewed, not an exact measurement of actual mastery.
Final test
You need to review all key points to unlock the final test.
Optional mini-games
Extra practice, with no penalty, to reinforce the module's content.
Further reading
Bibliography and cited sources used to create this module.
- John H. Elliott, Empires of the Atlantic World: Britain and Spain in America, 1492-1830.
- Hugh Thomas, The Slave Trade: The Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade, 1440-1870.
- Eric Williams, Capitalism and Slavery.
- David Eltis and David Richardson, Atlas of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
- Marcus Rediker, The Slave Ship: A Human History.
- Stuart B. Schwartz, Sugar Plantations in the Formation of Brazilian Society: Bahia, 1550-1835.
- Alan Taylor, American Colonies: The Settling of North America.
- Magnus Mörner, Race Mixture in the History of Latin America.