Atlantic World

What: This refers to the redefinition and expansion of the European horizon brought on by the discoveries of maritime expeditions across the Atlantic. It is the geography opened up by European exploration and all the cultural exchanges that occurred afterward—the social and economic changes that came about because interactions between African, European, and Native people.

When: arose in 15th century

Where: Europe, New World, Africa

Significance: It made Africans the dominant people in slavery instead of Amerindians and poor white Europeans. It formed the concept of triangular trade: European merchants brought Africans slaves to work on plantations, took the plantations’ raw materials back to Europe, and the raw materials were refined into sellable products to the European population. It also enforced the European identity as white and superior to other races, particularly African.