1. How did the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, and British initiatives in Asia differ from one another?

2. What was the significance of the silver trade during this time of empire building?

3. How did the emergence of the fur trade affect those indigenous peoples who had long lived in North America?

4. What roles did Europeans and Africans play in the development of the Atlantic slave trade?

5. How did the emergence of the Atlantic slave trade change and indeed transform African peoples and societies?