Question
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Chapter 2 Early Globalization: The Atlantic World, 1492-1650
14. What were the consequences of the religious upheavals of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries?
15. What types of labor systems were used in the Americas? Did systems of unfree labor serve more than
an economic function?
16. What is meant by the Columbian Exchange? Who was affected the most by the exchange?
17. What were the various goals of the colonial European powers in the expansion of their empires? Tc
what extent were they able to achieve these goals? Where did they fail?
18. On the whole, what was the impact of early European explorations on the New World? What was th
impact of the New World on Europeans?
Answer
The consequences of the religious upheavals of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were increased religious diversity, the spread of Protestantism, and the emergence of new forms of religious expression. In the Americas, labor systems included both free and unfree labor, with unfree labor serving a social and political function in addition to an economic one. The Columbian Exchange was the exchange of goods, plants, animals, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds, with the New World being affected the most. The goals of the colonial European powers in the expansion of their empires were to acquire resources, spread Christianity, and gain political and economic power. They were able to achieve some of these goals, but failed in others. On the whole, the impact of early European explorations on the New World was devastating, with the introduction of diseases, the destruction of native cultures, and the exploitation of native peoples. The impact of the New World on Europeans was the introduction of new foods, plants, and animals, as well as the spread of new diseases.