Comparing the Impact of the Indian Ocean Trade on Asia, Europe, and the Americas, 1500–1900

Vasco Da Gama's journey that rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1498 helped European explorers and merchants make a connection that they had sought after for several decades.  Christopher Columbus' voyage of 1492 connected the Old World with the New World by going in the opposite direction. These two new connections marked a great turning point in world history that impacted the global markets in a way that interregional land trade routes had not in the past.  Participants will engage in learning activities using primary sources to compare and contrast the impact of the desire for Indian commodities and luxury items that supported and expanded this huge global economic network which at first benefited the European sea empires and then the fledging United States of America.