Preview

The Portuguese Empire: Unequal Or Cruel?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
402 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Portuguese Empire: Unequal Or Cruel?
The Portuguese empire, like most royal projects, was unequal and cruel. Former colonies inherited economies intended to benefit Portugal, also helping to develop realization that in the end all humans inhabit a single planetary home, especially if not kept healthy and maintainable. The dried cod became a vital economic product and main of the Portuguese intake.
The Portuguese found Muslim merchants entrenched along the African coast. The Slave Coast, as the Bight of Benin, was searched by the Portuguese since the 1470s. It was not until they reached the kingdom of kongo’s coast in the 1480s that they overdid the Muslim trading territory. Also during the 16th century, the Portuguese also started to settle their newly discovered territory of
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    “Compare and Contrast the Early Colonial Empires of Portugal, Spain, and England in Terms of Motives, Economic Foundations and Relations with Africans and Indians. What Factors Contributed to the Similarities and/or Differences?
    • 1093 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “Compare and Contrast the Early Colonial Empires of Portugal, Spain, and England in Terms of Motives, Economic Foundations and Relations with Africans and Indians. What Factors Contributed to the Similarities and/or Differences?

    Portugal was one of the, if not the only, technological and economic geniuses of the fifteenth century. As a result of their genius, Portugal was able to build one of the first caravels and sail around the coast of Africa in an attempt to find a sea route to India. As a result of this attempt, Portugal discovered and colonized a few islands that were there. They soon discovered that these islands were perfect for developing sugar plantations, which was a great money maker. Sugar soon became a humungous part of Portugal’s economy. Where there is sugar there are usually slaves, primarily African slaves. The colonization of these sugar islands began the trade with Africa for African slaves. Needless to say Portugal became extremely wealthy. Portugal anemically attempted to convert some Africans to their religion like Spain and England.(Roman Catholic eventually protestant) . Portugal’s relationship with the African people soon spoiled as most ‘Slave Master Enslaved People’ relationships did. Relations spoiled because Portugal began to interfere with existing trade between Africans and other countries, Portugal also destroyed the Arab trade routes in the Indian Ocean between Africa, Arabia and India, and Portugal also encouraged wars between rival kingdoms in Africa just to maintain the slave trade. In 1493 the Treaty of Tordesillas (line of demarcation) was created after Christopher Columbus and the Spanish found “new” land further west than the coast of Africa.…

    • 1093 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Portugal and Spain Colonization in the Americas: A Comparison
    • 298 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Portugal and Spain Colonization in the Americas: A Comparison

    Portugal and Spain both had colonies in the Americas. From the 1494 the Treaty of Tordesillas between Spain and Portugal, Portugal gained the eastern half of South America, Brazil. Economically, Spain’s colony was focused on mining as Portugal was more focused on the Agriculture ( from their lack of gold and silver) Also, while Spain had a heavier role in controlling their viceroyalties both socially and religiously because of the potential uproar of the highly civilized society, Portugal was involved less as it id not have such a huge civilization as Spain. Spain’s colony in America needed a limited amount of labor for their mining, and most of it was reserved for the Indians (Incas) that made up 95% of the populations. The remaining 5% were whites born in Spain (peninsulares), whites born in the New World ( creoles), which made up 2% and Mixed bloods (mestizos and mulattoes), less than 3%. Spain unlike a lot of the other European colonies, including Portugal, had a lot of race mixing. Portugal’s Brazil being a agricultural colony needed a lot of laborers. They had a lucrative sugar trade, which made them the riches single region in the entire Americas, and after Brazilian Indians were devastated by disease, they depended on the Atlantic Slave Trade. Unlike the Spanish, the Portugese rarely intermarried. Whites would marry mulattoes, but they almost never married blacks, and there was a feud between the white ruling class as well, between the Brazilian-born and the Portugal-born. Unlike the Spanish, Portugal didn’t have a powerful bureaucracy, which limited the potential of having colonies to seek independence. After Spain’s decline of power in Europe in 1650, creoles and mix blood population increased getting them more actively related in politics and governing than before, and indian population decreased…

    • 298 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    7th Grade Chapter 14 Lesson 2 Key The Age Of Exploration
    • 707 Words
    • 2 Pages

    7th Grade Chapter 14 Lesson 2 Key The Age Of Exploration

    The Portuguese wanted to explore the west coast of Africa to increase trade and to find a new sea…

    • 707 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Change over Time: Africa
    • 639 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Change over Time: Africa

    The introduction of Islam in around 800 C.E. changed Western Africa. Islam entered Africa through a variety of ways; traders came in Africa from the Saharan desert and sometimes through the coast, and also, the Islamic Empire was yet still expanding throughout the Middle East, Africa, and Western Europe. Earlier on, around the mid-7th century C.E., Islam arrived in northern Africa. This progressively spread into Africa, then slowly, it trickled down into the west. It was accepted in Western Africa a while later due to the late arrival. The religion also increased the bonds with the dar-al-Islam and led them to more trade.…

    • 639 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hansa Verses Swahili
    • 1008 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Hansa Verses Swahili

    In documents 3 (Joao de Barros, Portuguese merchant and soldier from his book, Decadas da Asia completed in 1520s about his travels along east Africa’s coast), 5 (Abdul Hassan ibn Ali al Mas’udi, Arab traveler, merchant and geographer, from Cairo and Baghdad, late 10th century C.E. about his trips to the East African coastal area of el-Zanj, the Swahili peoples between Somalia and Mozambique) and 7 (Ibn Battuta, Muslim traveler and…

    • 1008 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Compare and Contrast the Early Colonial Empires of Portugal, Spain, and England in Terms of Motives, Economic Foundations, and Relations with Africans and Native Americans. What Factors Explain the Similarities and Differences in the Two Ventures?
    • 1220 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Compare and Contrast the Early Colonial Empires of Portugal, Spain, and England in Terms of Motives, Economic Foundations, and Relations with Africans and Native Americans. What Factors Explain the Similarities and Differences in the Two Ventures?

    Portugal was a pioneer fathering the Age of Exploration. She set out to investigate the coastlines of Africa in the middle of the 15-century looking to just dig up the unheard of. In an effort to accomplish these terrifying ambitions, Bartolomeu Dias rounded the tip of the “dark continent” south of Europe in 1488 opening a direct route beyond Africa through the Cape of Good Hope. This fueled interest in finding quicker routes starting with Vasco De Gama who was the first to reach India traveling the long passage around the coast. Along the shoreline in places such as Madeira, Sao Tome and Principe, the Portuguese launched an economically sound foundation of sugarcane plantations and gold trading posts. They enjoyed a private monopoly of slave…

    • 1220 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Islam CCOT
    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Islam CCOT

    West Africa’s economy was greatly stimulated by the appearance of Islam. They were able to trade, not only across the Sahara, as they had in Europe and the Middle East. Prior to the influence of Islam, West Africa interacted through regional trade and with help from Tran Saharan route they were able to connect to North Africa. With the Muslims, the bringing of Islam enlarged the amount of concubines, sex slaves, in West Africa. Although concubines were not Muslim, because Muslims believed that they couldn’t enslave their own people. We see that within Muslim ancestry they’ve always been nomadic, always relocating in spite of gaining new resources. The establishment of Islam led to the development of 1st regular trade across the Sahara. The impact of Islam turned Africa into a focal point of trade, linking Africa to Eurasian world trade.…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Changes and continuities in world trading systems during 1450-1750.
    • 1418 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Changes and continuities in world trading systems during 1450-1750.

    Once the Portuguese arrived, for example Henry the Navigator which founded the city of Sagres, their main goal was to explore and to find large quantities of gold. By the fifteen century the Portuguese achieved both of their goals, but there was something more that they wanted: maybe a better economy or maybe a faster way to earn money. With these new goals in their minds, the Portuguese started to occupy most of Africa, and started creating commerce between the two.…

    • 1418 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Iberian Powers in Colonial Empires
    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Iberian Powers in Colonial Empires

    The Iberian powers were able to establish and maintain colonial empires in the Americas for so long based on luck. There was no way to foresee the outcome of each conquest. There were a few times that the battles could have gone either way. It is commonly argued that the Iberians were able to colonize easily because they were “civilized men” while the natives were “barbarians”. (Restall 132) The real culprits were military prowess, strategic thinking, Iberian disease, and lack of a unified community.…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    AP WORLD HISTORY CH 20
    • 1541 Words
    • 7 Pages

    AP WORLD HISTORY CH 20

    Portuguese ships pushed down the west African coast and finally reached the Cape of Good Hope in 1487. Along the coast, the Portuguese established factories: forts and trading posts with resident merchants. Trade was the basis of Portuguese relations with Africans, but in the wake of commerce followed political, religious, and social relations. Missionary efforts were made to convert the rulers of Benin, Kongo, and other African kingdoms. These first contacts were marked by cultural preconceptions as well as by appreciation and curiosity. Portuguese exploration continued southward toward the Cape of Good Hope and beyond in the 16th century. Although for a long time Portugal’s major interest was in gold, pepper, and other products, a central element in this pattern was the slave trade. Through the slave trade, Portuguese voyages now opened a direct channel to sub-Saharan Africa. The first slaves brought directly to Portugal from Africa arrived in 1441, and after that date slaves became a common trade item.…

    • 1541 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ap World History Chapter 9 Essay
    • 4650 Words
    • 19 Pages

    Ap World History Chapter 9 Essay

    A) East African coastline that became the primary point of contact for Muslim merchants from India and Southeast Asia and African traders.…

    • 4650 Words
    • 19 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    GKE1: The Rise Of Imperialism By Portugal
    • 1387 Words
    • 6 Pages

    GKE1: The Rise Of Imperialism By Portugal

    GKE1 Task 3 GKE1 Task 3 A. The rise of imperialism by Portugal was due to the pursuit of exploration and trade. Imperialism is the acquisition of territory by either political or military force, while colonialism is sending citizens to inhabit and populate a new territory. Portugal landed in Brazil on April 23, 1500 and began setting up trading stations called “feitorias”.(Skidmore, 1999) Portugal did not have the population to colonize the new land and these stations were minimally staffed but secured by military means. The Portuguese used “bandeirantes” or armed groups to explore the land capturing Indians for labor and to look for precious metals. The religious order of Portuguese Jesuits was an aggressive mission…

    • 1387 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    How Did Portuguese Change Over Time
    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How Did Portuguese Change Over Time

    Change Over Time: Portugal and Africa During the Age of Exploration the Portuguese had a great interest in the African continent. They conquered the city of morocco first then continued to do the same all over western Africa. They originally went to Africa to spread Christianity and they hoped to find gold, but over time found the real money was in the slave trade there.…

    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Spain Vs. Portugal: Which Colonial System Was More Effective?
    • 702 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Spain Vs. Portugal: Which Colonial System Was More Effective?

    Spain vs. Portugal: Which Colonial System Was More Effective? Spain and Portugal can be considered two of the greatest colonial powers in history, each having ruled their respective empires for more than three centuries. These imperial powers owed their accomplishments to different concepts of organization and ultimately the Spanish method was more successful. The Spanish administrative system was well organized, making land grants and getting labor more efficient. The Portuguese system, on the other hand, was more loosely organized thus less productive.…

    • 702 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    African American History Notes 1
    • 43850 Words
    • 171 Pages

    African American History Notes 1

    the 7th century. African Muslims had created citystates, which were engaged in a lucrative trade that…

    • 43850 Words
    • 171 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More