While reading about the Political Transformation during 1450-1750, the first point I found interesting was how globalization changed the world.  Events like slavery connecting Africa to the West, metal trade connecting Europe to Asia, Russia making way across Siberia to the Pacific, and Christianity, all had a profound impact on the world.  In the later agrarian era, I found it interesting that Europe was strong but they were limited in what they could do across the globe.  In instances like religion, China and Japan strictly controlled merchants and missionaries amongst their societies.  Another instance of Europe’s strength but limitation is the way that African’s controlled the terms and conduct
in the slave trade.  When I read this, I was saddened!  It a daunting thought to know that African’s were the beginning step of their slave trade.  This idea made me realize that slavery was far more developed that what we are often taught in elementary school here in America.  I did not know that slavery expanded to the Spanish, Brazilians, and Caribbean’s.  I feel it is important for American’s to learn this as early as when they are
taught about slavery in America because I think it will help with our understanding.  This was not just an American historical event; slavery is a part of the WORLD history. 

Another point I found interesting was that Native American societies were not conquered, but rather they were taken over and then changed by the European influence and then introduced to African American slavery.  When I read this, I thought about what it must have felt like for the Native Americans to see and feel such change.  When we studied 10 Little Indians by Sherman Alexie we learned that alcohol was and is still an issue many Native Americans struggle with today.  As Strayer continues throughout the Colonial Societies, I found it jarring to read about the way Native American and enslaved women were treated; they were commodities!  Women were treated as commodities and used for trading or given up when conquered by new Colonial leaders.  Strayer pointed out that this was both tragic and humiliating for the men of these women who could not protect their women from this abuse.  Sadly, these women were also sex slaves, which to me is an additional form of slavery.

In the Russian Empire, I found it interesting that Russians felt as if they were doing the Siberians or as they called them “savages” a favor by bringing in Christianity, civilization, and enlightenment.  However, the oath the Russians wanted agreement to was “eternal submission to the good tsar.”  I thought that was crazy!  I literally thought how could you think enlightenment and in the same breath say eternal submission?  As I read on, I read that they converted these Siberians to Christianity through incentives like a break from paying the tribute or promise of land. 

What I found out in this chapter is that this was a very ugly time in our world’s history. Masked by the idea of “growth” whole societies were taken over by people from countries who believed they were doing “good” for the world.  Those they conquered, they changed and made submit to demands that were so degrading that everything they lived for was diminished.