Changes And Continuities In The Atlantic World

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Kirsten Markham Mr.Cole World History AP February 22 2017 Changes and Continuities Essay From 1450 to 1750 the Atlantic World consisted of Western Europe, Africa, and the Americas. These three areas were connected through trading and the need for colonization. The Europeans were mostly dominant during this time period with both trading and colonization. The Atlantic World eventually lead to changes and continuities in social conditions. In the Atlantic World the separation of classes in the Americas and the merchants and the middle class during the Renaissance becoming more equal in social status were both changes while, the social conditions of African natives and the spread of Christianity when Europeans were colonizing are both constants. …show more content…

With the spread of colonization throughout the Atlantic World, Spain colonized in Mesoamerica and South America which resulted in the creation of the mestizo class. A mestizo was a person of mixed European and Native American ancestry. Their status was always considered illegitimate especially in the early years of the caste. The caste was never fully accepted as equals to the Spaniards but were fully expected to live according to the standards of the Spanish society. Do to the mestizos never being accepted into to the society, they were separated from it also. In the Americas race and place of birth played an important rule. The sociedad de castas is based on racial origins, where European or whites were at the top of the caste system and black slaves or Native Americans were at the bottom. This American based social caste system separated people based on the color of their skin, where the lighter your skin is the high you are in the social system. The separation of classes was mostly prominent in the Americas where mestizos, creoles,and peninsulares were seperated do to their mixed race and Europeans, whites, black slaves, and Native Americans were separated do to the color of their …show more content…

The Renaissance allowed for some bearings on politics and commerce which opened a door for merchants and the middle class. Renaissance merchants improved their banking techniques and became more open to seek profits. The middle class or city-state leaders were able to experiment with new political forms and functions. This allowed them to improve their social standing in a way that was not based on heredity and more based on what they could do or offer the society. This lead to them running cultural activities , develop more armies for wars on the practice of diplomacy, and some were introduced as ambassadors. The Renaissance lead to the change of the social standings of both the merchants and the middle class in different