Chapter One
The first part of the book provides a title that looks like a poetic title. The title of part one is “The Ocean Shall Unloose the Bonds of things”. The part one of the book contains both chapter one and chapter two. The first chapter is “Antecedents”. The setting of the first chapter takes place in four continents during the fifteenth century. The title gives information which is a coverage that is equal to all the Americas. According to Benjamin’s point of view, the Atlantic Africa, Western Europe as well as the Americas were approximately equivalent during the fifteenth century in terms of wealth and population.
The Atlantic Africa, Western Europe as well as the Americas put together during the 15th century made up more than a third of the world population. Benjamin states, "In 1500, Latin Christendom was a minor civilization but starting in the fifteenth century Western Europe would produce an Atlantic World that would begin to surpass the great Eurasian civilizations" (47). This statement indicate how large the population of the Atlantic World was. The Europe’s ascent is not associated to the geography. Benjamin ascertains that at the start of the rise as well as fall of the West is what is followed by the extension of Europe into what is referred to as the Atlantic (Benjamin 47). Giving an explanation for Europe’s rise is attributed to the to Europe’s superiority in the control of information technology which was accelerated by the enormous printing of books as well as the establishment of 56 universities in the region during the fifteenth century.
Chapter Two
The second chapter of the book is “Commencement”. Before the 17th century, the cause for historical change in the Atlantic world is attributed to the emergence of the Spain as well as Portuguese. According to Benjamin “Portugal and then Spain emerge as the principal agents for historical change in the Atlantic World prior to the seventeenth century” (53). Even with that information put across, Benjamin still brings to the reader’s attention, the efforts made by the Native Americans as well as the Africans referring to them as the more passive victims. What Benjamin is putting across is that the Native Americans and the Africans were complicit in the addiction and subjugation of the multitudes of their colleague countrymen.
During the sixteenth century the Portuguese came up with a world girdling oceanic connection that consisted of trading posts. The posts were based in the Atlantic islands as well as the coastal kingdoms of Africa on the grounds of slavery and plunder. Their affluences in Brazil were considered to be of very minimal importance during the 16th century. The Portuguese had slave trade exchanges with the African Kings. The slaves were transported to work in their sugar plantations that were located and established in the Atlantic islands which were along the coastal region making the movement of slaves from Africa the islands easier through their coasts. Reaching the middle of the 16th century, more notably in Brazil, the Portuguese provided the African kings with guns for the warfare which was spreading due to the burgeoning slave trade. This supply of guns to the African Kings served as a way of repaying the African kings for their gift of the slaves’ trade exchange. The guns helped the kings conquer those who were opposed to slave trade hence to the advantage of the Portuguese.
Works Cited
Benjamin, Thomas, Timothy D. Hall, and David Rutherford. The Atlantic World in the Age of Empire. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Print.
