The document discusses how various crops and goods spread globally through trade routes and economic activities over centuries. It describes how Islam created safe trade routes between Asia and Africa, allowing the spread of luxury goods, knowledge, and products worldwide. It then discusses how specific crops like potatoes, sugar, tobacco, coffee, and chocolate originated in certain regions but were transported by Europeans, Africans, and Asians along trade networks and eventually cultivated and consumed globally, profoundly impacting economies, societies, and cultures worldwide.

1. The European Voyages and
How the World Changes
By Crystal Keenan

2. When Asia was the World
Economy
Islam (7th Century) conquered much of their
surroundings creating a safe route between
Asia and Africa; formed a major trade system.
Luxury goods and bulk necessities were traded
freely among ports; spread worldwide
knowledge and products.
Portuguese tried to take control by setting up
blockades at mouths of rivers and making
people pay for passage and telling them to
boycott ports.
They lacked power to back up the demands and
blockades and forts were eventually destroyed
by Turks, English, and Dutch.

3. Economic Culture of Drugs
Drugs used to be traded freely and viewed as
medicine and”sacraments of religious rites”.
17th Century, Asian, European, & African
consumers were addicted and drugs ruled trade
for centuries.
Governments started taxing & cultivating drugs
Europeans forced inhabitants where plants grew
to share them for a wider production range.
In 20th Century, any substance that caused a
person to work less efficient was considered a
“drug” and was banned; Though opium was still
sold to China by some Christians.

4. Aztec Traders
Portuguese & Europeans moved to
America and controlled long-
distance trade
Most natives shad little or no
interest in long-distance trade;
Mesoamerican trade was isolated
and was less efficient
geographically and was traded by
manual labor.
Trade created caste systems in
Maya and Aztec civilizations.
Spanish conquered Aztecs &
Mayas and controlled the trade.

5. Potatoes
More Europeans moved to America moving potatoes to
support new found crops.
Potatoes are 2nd largest food crop only because they were
easily accessible in bad times.
It’s a very hardy plant: grows in almost all conditions without
much maintenance - has vitamins & high in calories - easy to
store. (helped people in China move to more elevated places.)
During rebellion in Ireland 1641-1652, crops & livestock were
killed, and they thrived and regrew population with potatoes.
Were mainly resisted because they were thought of as the
food of the poor; were only used by British when completely
necessary.
Only made its way across rest of Europe through times of war
and famine.

6. Sweet Revolutions
Sugar started in South Pacific and slowly
spread throughout Eurasia.
Venice dominated sugar trade in Middle Ages.
Portuguese enslaved Africans in Sao Tome and
forced them to work on sugar crops.
Spread to North America and became an
international crop. (slaves also worked on crops
in North America & Haiti.)
1791-1804 slaves fought for freedom in Haiti
and won, but never made it back into the world
of trade. (were rich prior to introduction of
sugar.)

7. Where There’s Smoke...
Virginia was a wasteland until
European colonists began exporting
tobacco & using slaves to grow.
Became largest tobacco export by
1620
Sailors imitated Natives & smoked;
Other countries saw sailors and
smoking caught on.
Crops destroyed forests, pushed
Natives out & brought more slaves.

8. Mocca is Not Chocolate
Yemen’s developed coffee beverage (was a major item on
Arabian Penn. 1500’s.)
1708 1st frenchmen rounded Africa to red Sea and landed in
Yemen’s port; looking to purchase coffee directly.
Muslims made 1st coffeehouse & was one of few secular
public places.
Europeans didn’t catch on to coffee craze until 1665-66
(Ottoman sultan poured cup for french aristocrats - Turks left
sacks in Austria)
For years coffee was expensive & grown exclusively in
Yemen (transported by frenchmen ‘de la Roque” to Europe.
Europeans used seeds from coffee tree and grew it in
America
By 1900s’ America dominated coffee trade.

9. Chocolate
Cacao beans were valuable in Mesoamerica,
came from lowlands & made way up to
highlands.
prized for rarity, taste & pharmacological effects.
Catholics popularized chocolate in Spain &
neighboring countries; Jesuits began their own
cacao production.
Became Spanish America’s 1st primary
agricultural export.
Cacao trees moved further to Central & South
America, Africa, Indonesia and Philippines.