In this book, David Cook attempts to synthesize all available information about the spread of disease in the new world in one volume. Cook’s main argument is that the traditional historiography on the subject, most notably that written by Bartolome de Las Casas, over-emphasizes the cruelty of the Spanish as the reason behind the massive deaths experienced in Amerindian populations. Cook shows in this book how diseases such as smallpox, measles, and influenza were actually much more devastating to the New World than the cruelty of the Spanish.
Klein Herbert S., The Atlantic Slave Trade. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. …show more content…
Wilson explores the social structure of Taino society in Pre-Columbian times, and traces how the demise of Taino society was caused by the arrival of Europeans. One suggestion Wilson makes is that Taino population decrease was due partially to the disruption of food production caused by the exploitation of the native workforce by the Spanish for European profit. Wilson outlines how these forces, in addition to disease, cause the demise of the complex Taino society at the hands of Columbus and the Spanish.
Solow, Barbara L. Slavery and the Rise of the Atlantic System, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 1991
In this book, Barbara Solow describes the formation of the Transatlantic slave trade in the context of economic forces that created trade between the old world and the new world. Solow argues that slavery is inherently tied to the rise of capitalistic ideology, as it allowed for the utilization of slave labor to create profit from the abundance of new land discovered in America. Thus, Solow sees slavery as a critical aspect maintaining the system of Atlantic trade, as it enabled profitable European imperialism in the New World.
Brothwell, Don. “On Biological Exchanges Between the Two Worlds.” In Europe and the Americas 1492-1650, edited by Warwick Bray, 233-244. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, …show more content…
The capsicum pepper was discovered by Christopher Columbus on his voyages to the new world, and Columbus promptly brought the peppers back with him to Europe. From there, Smith traces the relatively quick global diffusion of capsicums, chronicling their spread throughout Eurasia and Africa. Smith illustrates the system that leads to the diffusion of the spice, originating with Columbus’ discovery and spreading through networks of diplomats and academics to eventually being available for consumption worldwide.
Stone, Erin W. “America’s First Slave Revolt: Indians and African Slaves in Espanola, 1500-1534.” Ethnohistory. 60, no. 2 (Spring 2013): 195-217. Accessed September 17, 2015.