HIS 379 Week 4 Discussion

Read

Benjamin, Thomas. The Atlantic World: Europeans, Africans, Indians and Their Shared History, 1400-1900. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009.

• Introduction to Part III: A New Order of the Ages
• Chapter 10: Rivals: Great Britain and France in the Long Eighteenth Century

Fassnacht, Max, Stephanie Fink, Robert Jackson, and Michelle Warn. “The Anatomy of a Discussion Board (Links to an external site.).” Accessed February 15, 2016. https://sites.google.com/site/anatomyofadiscussionboard/home.

Fassnacht, Max, Stephanie Fink, Robert Jackson, and Michelle Warn. “Critical Thinking: A Guide to Skillful Reasoning (Links to an external site.).” Accessed August 15, 2016. http://www.criticalthinkingandreasoning.org/evaluating-critical-thinking.

Reflect: The rivalry between France and Great Britain dominated the period known as the long eighteenth century (1689-1815). These conflicts, struggles, periods of warfare, and interludes of peace arose from multiple factors, including the waning power of the Spanish empire, the success of the Dutch, and incessant warfare in Europe over the course of the seventeenth century. Such conflict subsequently gripped the Atlantic World, as the quest for power and profit took rivalries from the European theater into the colonial empires. Intimately enmeshed in these struggles were indigenous Americans, slaves, and free blacks, along with colonial citizens. As the balance of power shifted, alliances were formed and abandoned as each group sought to defend self-interest and maximize advantage. At the end of this period, the Atlantic World had changed in profound ways. Consult “Critical Thinking: A Guide to Skillful Reasoning (Links to an external site.)” as you formulate your response.

Write: How did the struggle for supremacy between France and Great Britain during the long eighteenth century include the participation of indigenous Americans, free blacks, mulattos, African slaves, or creole slaves to transform the Atlantic World? In an initial post of at least 250-300 words, consider the following points and cite specific examples from the required and recommended readings as you formulate your response:

• How did conflicts in Europe extend into colonial possessions in the Americas? Causes? Consequences? Specific examples?
• How did indigenous Americans, free blacks, mulattos, African slaves, or creole slaves play integral roles in Anglo-French conflicts? Specific examples?
• How did the outcome of the Seven Years’ War affect the balance of power between Great Britain and France as well as the Anglo-French rivalries over time?
• How did revolutionary movements in the Atlantic World in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries affect the balance of power between Great Britain and France?
• How can you explain the broader significance of the rivalries of the long eighteenth century?