This paper examines Portuguese, Spanish, English, and Dutch explorers and how and why the different groups acted the way they did in the areas they were exploring. Though all parties were European, each have different cultures and backgrounds. This directly affects their interactions in foreign countries. The Portuguese, Spanish, English, and Dutch were all unique in their oversea doings, each group acting and reacting in different ways for different reasons than their neighboring explorers.…
“By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination” said Christopher Columbus on his voyage to the new world. Columbus’s said obstacles were of great significance, ranging from scurvy to loss of direction. Nevertheless, without half of the technological advances of today's society, Columbus still successfully infected the new world with culture, order, and disease. Even a few of today’s luxuries could have had a strong impact overall of Christopher Columbus’s career. Christopher Columbus’s voyage was less than pleasant for him and his fellow passengers.…
Christopher Columbus was not the man many tell him to be. As a society, we tend to look at all the great and glorious things he did, most notably discovering the Americas. Almost all of the time, however, we do not look at all the negatives, which there are arguably many more of. These include his harsh treatment of natives, thirst for wealth and the terrible acts he committed as governor of the Indies. Upon first reaching the natives, Columbus describes them as very friendly, extremely willing to trade all they had with the Spaniards.…
The intended audience of the article “ The Indians' Old World:Native Americans and the Coming of European”, are the general public and historians because the article shows how a lot of people give more importance of American history after Columbus rather than before Columbus and criticize how historians know much less history prior to arrival of columbus in 1492. For instance, the author Neal Salisbury states that “historians now recognize that Europeans arrived, not in a virgin land, but in one that was teeming with several million people (435)”. 2. The author’s main argument is that there was densely populated society before European arrival, how certain patterns and processes originated before and after contact with the Europeans.…
For tens of thousands of people, the search for opportunity in the new world drove them to leave England and risk everything to cross the Atlantic on a perilous three thousand mile journey. The nearly ten million squares miles of unexplored land held untold riches and promised to offer new beginnings for people of all backgrounds seeking to escape religious persecution, poverty and overcrowding in Europe. English colonization in the 16th and 17th centuries opened the door to the world, as it is known today. Colonization not only allowed people to grow, but also allowed ideas, technologies, economies and knowledge to flourish and take new directions never thought possible. Columbus’s return to Europe with the sensational news of untold riches,…
One of the most important tasks of this article, is to clarify any misunderstandings and debunk any myths about the man who sailed the ocean blues in 1492. The excursions of disclosure set…
In spite of the fact that both Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States” and “Part 1: The World Before 1492: Contact and Exploration - 1491-1607” both explore the same time period, the two works greatly differ in the aspect of the message they convey to the reader. This is seen through observation of the difference between the largely personal level from which Zinn describes the causes and effects of European exploration and the broader and more general view from which “Part 1: The World Before 1492: Contact and Exploration - 1491-1607” details the voyages of Columbus and the results of many other attempts at expansion- as seen in the textbook’s approach to the journals of Columbus. In contrast to the primary efforts of “Part 1: The World Before 1492: Contact and Exploration - 1491-1607” to shadow the inhumane aspect of European voyages in the Americas, Zinn’s text exhibits this nature of overseas exploration with ample detail. This distinction between the works of literature is seen at large with Zinn’s inclusion of a firsthand account by Las Casas of the work required of them “to exasperate, ravage, kill, mangle and destroy” (Zinn 7) the Native Americans.…
They took a step onto an unknown world, risking their lives in the name of glory, freedom, and wealth. They found new lands, met new people, lost lives, and gained enormous wealth. Their courage gave people new opportunities and opened up the world for those that otherwise couldn’t progress. These enormous gains from around 1580 to 1630; however, did not come without a price. The geography, profitability, food, diseases, Indians, and climate all proved to be major challenges in their quest in the new world.…
During the Age of Exploration many individuals such as Columbus, Magellan, and Cortes are recognized for the changes they brought to Europe during this time, but it is questionable whether their changes were more positive or negative. Each of these explores has brought many changes to both their conquered areas and their homeland. It’s safe to say these explores brought more negative changes than positive changes because the changes they brought only benefitted their homeland, resulting in the suffering of their conquered areas. During this time period the major powers were driven to have control over most lands, even if it meant the suffering Indigenous people. The Age of Exploration began as a result of economic desires.…
The two waves of European exploration that made their way…
The Columbian Exchange, which was initiated by Christopher Columbus in 1492 on his quest to reach the West Indies, was not only a historic meeting between the eastern and western civilizations from across the Atlantic, but also an opportunity for the sharing of two vastly different cultures. The initial encounter between Columbus and the natives of the New World provided a defining moment for humanity as diseases, crops, and religions that had not previously been known to either side now became staples of life for both civilizations. When most people think of Columbus’s arrival to the New World they only wish to see the immediate benefits that came out of the expedition, such as the discovery of new land, ecosystems, and crops. The most…
The Age of Exploration began in the 1500s and lasted until the 1700s. This period was known as a time when the old world began exploring the new world by sea in search of new goods, land, gold and new trade routes. The information gained during the Age of Exploration greatly allowed geographic knowledge to move forward. European exploration led to global trade and colonization. The old world discovering the new world made the Columbian Exchange: a wide transfer of goods, like food, animals and slaves, and not so good, including communicable diseases and culture.…
Calling his discovery of America accidental is quite nice considering the circumstances he was in. Even though he had planned and brought three ships of supplies and men to cover the distance he thought it would be to reach Asia from Europe, he was wrongly mistaken. It was proven that if America had not existed and been in the way of his journey, Columbus would’ve had to turn back long before reaching his goal of Asia, or he and every man on his ships would have died a quiet death. With that in mind, it is acceptable to say that Christopher Columbus was “lucky” to have encountered America. It goes to show that Columbus may have rushed the voyage and did not fully plan out the proper resources needed for a successful trip.…
The third part of the book, How the West Won, by Rodney Stark, continues to discuss the ways that the middle ages are different from the way we understand them. They were a time of great innovation and change. So much of culture was formed during these times. Many historians and history teachers just brush over these stories and facts, if not completely ignore them. Stark attempts to show how western culture was developed during times of great change.…
The exploration and colonization boom of the 16th-17th centuries permanently connected Europe and the Americas, a connection that eventually formed the modern “West.” This new global connection not only created positive effects, but it also created a few negative ones as well. The European and American perspectives vastly changed because of this new connection that was created. Before the connection came to be, Europeans believed there were multiple continents, unaware of how big the world truly was. The Europeans believed that new trade routes, adventures, and the spread of religion could be a good aspect to come out of exploring the world, but it was also dangerous, unknown, and time-consuming.…