Age of Exploration
Read through the following documents and DBQ question. A practice essay is diagrammed below for you to look through.
Question:
- How was the era of global contact (16th century) shaped by new commodities, commercial empires, and forced migrations?
Documents:
Document 1: Tom Standage, An Edible History of Humanity, New York: Bloomsbury 2010
Having been an expensive luxury item at the time of the Crusades, sugar fell in price as production increased, and by the end of the eighteenth century it had become an everyday item for many Europeans. Demand grew as the exotic new drinks of tea, coffee, and cocoa (from China, Arabia and the Americas, respectively) became popular in Europe, invariably sweetened with sugar. Having used fruit and honey as sweeteners for centuries, European consumers suddenly became accustomed to sugar, even addicted to it. The demand enriched Caribbean sugar barons, European merchants, and North American colonists.
Having been an expensive luxury item at the time of the Crusades, sugar fell in price as production increased, and by the end of the eighteenth century it had become an everyday item for many Europeans. Demand grew as the exotic new drinks of tea, coffee, and cocoa (from China, Arabia and the Americas, respectively) became popular in Europe, invariably sweetened with sugar. Having used fruit and honey as sweeteners for centuries, European consumers suddenly became accustomed to sugar, even addicted to it. The demand enriched Caribbean sugar barons, European merchants, and North American colonists.
Document 2: E.T. Parris, illustrator, The Sugar Hogshead, London, 1846
Document 3: David Richardson, “The Slave Trade, Sugar, and British Economic Growth, 1748 – 1776,” Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 1987.
Average purchase price of adult male slave on West African coast
Average purchase price of adult male slave on West African coast
- 1748: £14
- 1768: £16
- 1748: £32
- 1768: £41
Document 4: Baily Wallys, Foundations of the Portuguese Empire: 1415 – 1580, University of Minnesota, 1977.
King Manuel of Portugal sent instructions to Viceroy Francisco de Almeida in 1505It seems to us nothing would serve us better than to have a fortress at the mouth of the Red Sea or near to it – rather inside it than outside might afford better control – because from there we could see to it that no spices might pass to the land of the sultan of Egypt, and all those in India would lose the false notion that they could trade any more, save through us…
King Manuel of Portugal sent instructions to Viceroy Francisco de Almeida in 1505It seems to us nothing would serve us better than to have a fortress at the mouth of the Red Sea or near to it – rather inside it than outside might afford better control – because from there we could see to it that no spices might pass to the land of the sultan of Egypt, and all those in India would lose the false notion that they could trade any more, save through us…
Document 5: Tom Standage, An Edible History of Humanity, New York: Bloomsbury 2010
The Dutch East India Company (VOC)
Convinced that they had to find a way to control the source of the spices, the Dutch got their act together. In 1602 they formed the Dutch East India Company (the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, VOC), an association of merchants meant to reduce competition, share risk and realise economies of scale. Other European countries also formed East India companies—everyone from Portugal to Sweden to Austria had a go—but none was ever as successful in the spice trade as the VOC.
The Dutch East India Company (VOC)
Convinced that they had to find a way to control the source of the spices, the Dutch got their act together. In 1602 they formed the Dutch East India Company (the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, VOC), an association of merchants meant to reduce competition, share risk and realise economies of scale. Other European countries also formed East India companies—everyone from Portugal to Sweden to Austria had a go—but none was ever as successful in the spice trade as the VOC.
Steps to follow for an awesome DBQ!
Step One - Know what the question is asking you and the time period its asking about.
- How was the era of global contact (16th century) shaped by new commodities, commercial empires, and forced migrations?
Step Two - Organize the documents into three categories (possibly two categories).
- Commodities - Sugar and Spice (Doc 1 and 2)
- Commercial Empires - Portuguese Empire, VOC and other East Asia Companies (Doc 4 and 5)
- Forced Migration - Slavery (Doc 3)
Step 3 - Follow the Rubric, print a copy of the rubric off and have it next to you as you write.
- Contextualization - Intro paragraph
- Thesis - Last sentence or two of the intro paragraph.
- Documents, Evidence & Analysis - Body paragraphs
- 1st body paragraph - first grouping of documents
- 2nd body paragraph - second grouping of documents
- 3rd body paragraph - third grouping of documents (if applicable)
- Specific historical evidence beyond the documents - two examples put at the end of any two body paragraphs.
- Complex understanding - place in the concluding paragraph... not necessarily a conclusion.
Contextualization:
Influenced by the changes caused by the Renaissance in the early 15th century, by the end of the 1400’s European countries were preparing to expand their commercial and political empires. Beginning with the voyages of exploration sponsored by Portugal and Spain, European understanding of the world and their place in it was changing. Leaders like Prince Henry the Navigator in Portugal and Ferdinand and Isabella in Spain placed huge financial risk in the hope that quicker routes to the orient could be discovered. If successful, these rulers hoped to reap the benefits of the spice trade and other exotic goods.
Thesis:
The era of global contact the occurred in the 16th century was shaped by European desire to control the spice trade, the development of commercial empires like that of the East Asia companies and by the mass forced migration of slaves from Africa.
1st Body Paragraph – Sugar and Spice
One of the motivations for European exploration was the desire to find faster routes to East Asia. Traditionally linked to the Far East by the Silk Road, Europeans had a taste for a number or exotic goods only found in Asia. In order to cut out the middle-man Europeans began to chart oversea routes that would allow them to bring goods back on their own ships. The two main commodities motivating European explorers were sugar and spice. As Tom Standage wrote in Doc 1, European desire for sugar only increased as the price dropped during the 16th century. Standage described how Europeans grew found of adding sugar to popular drinks like coffee and tea which were also arriving in Europe from overseas. The demand in Europe seemed almost insatiable as seen in Document 2, the illustration of the Sugar Hogs. In the illustration people are seen scrambling over, under, and around a giant barrel full of sugar. The illustration does seem to caricature the desire for sugar and therefore should not be taken at face value. It seems likely that people would not behave in such a way, however, it does illustrate an overall trend that was occurring in Europe in the 16th century. Overall the desire for sugar and spices, or tea and coffee showed the impact of the Columbian Exchange which was well under way. New goods from far lands were now accessible to an ever increasing number or Europeans. This would spark an economic change that would lead to the development of new commercial empires.
Influenced by the changes caused by the Renaissance in the early 15th century, by the end of the 1400’s European countries were preparing to expand their commercial and political empires. Beginning with the voyages of exploration sponsored by Portugal and Spain, European understanding of the world and their place in it was changing. Leaders like Prince Henry the Navigator in Portugal and Ferdinand and Isabella in Spain placed huge financial risk in the hope that quicker routes to the orient could be discovered. If successful, these rulers hoped to reap the benefits of the spice trade and other exotic goods.
Thesis:
The era of global contact the occurred in the 16th century was shaped by European desire to control the spice trade, the development of commercial empires like that of the East Asia companies and by the mass forced migration of slaves from Africa.
1st Body Paragraph – Sugar and Spice
One of the motivations for European exploration was the desire to find faster routes to East Asia. Traditionally linked to the Far East by the Silk Road, Europeans had a taste for a number or exotic goods only found in Asia. In order to cut out the middle-man Europeans began to chart oversea routes that would allow them to bring goods back on their own ships. The two main commodities motivating European explorers were sugar and spice. As Tom Standage wrote in Doc 1, European desire for sugar only increased as the price dropped during the 16th century. Standage described how Europeans grew found of adding sugar to popular drinks like coffee and tea which were also arriving in Europe from overseas. The demand in Europe seemed almost insatiable as seen in Document 2, the illustration of the Sugar Hogs. In the illustration people are seen scrambling over, under, and around a giant barrel full of sugar. The illustration does seem to caricature the desire for sugar and therefore should not be taken at face value. It seems likely that people would not behave in such a way, however, it does illustrate an overall trend that was occurring in Europe in the 16th century. Overall the desire for sugar and spices, or tea and coffee showed the impact of the Columbian Exchange which was well under way. New goods from far lands were now accessible to an ever increasing number or Europeans. This would spark an economic change that would lead to the development of new commercial empires.