Discovery of the "New World"

Hey guys! I'm so grateful to have found a website that shares my interest in essay writing. I have just been given a mind-boggling topic in my AP Social Studies 10 class, and the question being "To what extent did the discovery of the New World a positive or negative development?"

I have been provided with lots of material, including the slave trade so I may begin my essay. But, I've been looking for more information on the impact of Europeans on the Aboriginal people. I will post a paragraph or two soon. I was wondering if Social Studies essays follow a specific format for the introduction like this:

- Flirtation
- Topic sentences
- Thesis
- Transition

Hopefully, I will be able to receive help in writing my essay. Thanks again, guys.

As far as I know, there isn't any particular formula, though it probably tends to follow the same general patterns as introductions in other sorts of academic essays. For your essay topic, whose point of view are you supposed to be writing from? I doubt that the Natives, the European Settlers, the African slaves, or even contemporary American citizens would answer the question you have in the same way.

It is meant to shine light on your point of view. I am planning on discussing the negative impacts of the discovery such as fatal diseases brought by the Europeans, that is estimated to have killed 90% of the native population. I want to suggest that the discovery was inevitable but with a different approach, could have helped to preserve and reduce the deficit of culture in the present North America. Thanks for the quick reply :).

This could be interesting. It is true that North America isn't very multicultural -- oh, wait, its main cities have either reached, or are close to reaching, a state where no cultural group constitutes a majority of the population. Never mind.

Okay, that was just me playing devil's advocate -- your thesis is certainly arguable. I would say, however, that you probably don't mean this: "preserve and reduce the deficit of culture." I think that you mean that Native culture could have been preserved, and the deficit thereby reduced.

I do mean that the Native culture could have been preserved, thereby increasing the cultural heritage of North America. My teacher wants us to avoid being simplistic. I don't know how I can expand on every sentence I write.

I spent a few minutes and came up with this:
...

Thanks again, Sean

Can I get some criticism guys? :).

Thanks again.

"To what extent did [was] the discovery of the New World a positive or negative development?" is the question you are seeking to address in your paper, and your focus is " ..the negative impacts of the discovery [,] such as fatal diseases brought by the Europeans..".

There are people who would argue that killing of the natives was almost a negligible price for the development it brought to the land. The natives wouldn't of course see it that way.

Then, are you implying that north americans do not have any culture of their own, even if its roots were sprung in Europe. What of the cowboys and present day baseball? And hotdogs?

Your introduction is decent. However, you say that the discovery of the New World had both positive and negative aspects, then proceed to list only the negatives, which ends up sounding a bit odd.


This is an argument you are going to have to deal with. You obviously will want to claim that this isn't the case, but at some point in your essay you will have to explain why it isn't. You are on the right track, so far, though. Write some more so we can see how your essay will develop.

I see that correction Rajeev made and I think it is very important. Those first sentences do not seem clear. Here is another idea:

A question arises in one's mind when asked if the discovery of the New World was a positive or negative development: Further thought reveals that Could it be that it was both positive and negative?

I think Rajeev's correction is probably better, though. It is very clear. This one above may not be right, because you may not be saying, exactly, that it was both positive and negative.

I have made a few corrections in the first paragraph, mostly vague. I made another paragraph and will be posting two more shorty.

Thank you guys for the critique as I really appreciate it.
Also, I would like to know if I provide adequate proof for my arguments as I lost a few marks on my last essay due to this.

I am stuck at the 2nd body paragraph as I don't know what to link slavery to. I constructed 4-5 lines but I still need to add more.

The Spaniards believed that cheap and efficient labor was necessary to the success of the newly established colonies. European ships would trade resources with Africa for slaves. These slaves were shipped to the New World, where they worked for endless hours with no incentives. While these slaves added to the population and work force and increased productivity of many resources like sugar and tobacco, from a social point of view, these workers were stripped of their dignity and family and used as resources with no remorse from the Spaniards. Apart from importing these slaves to Spain, they were also sent out to the Caribbean.

Thanks again and a fast response would be greatly appreciated :).

There is not much to correct... this is a nice paper, so far.

Here is something:
Undermining the value of human life, the Spaniards brought African slaves to work on the settlements.

About your question, I think what you need to do is jot down a list of the MAJOR ideas covered in your essay. That way, you know what is supposed to come next. What is supposed to come next? You need to lead th creativity along by knowing where you're going.

Just think of what the main point is, and stick to it... you have one main idea for this whole essay, and each paragraph can represent a MAJOR idea that supports your main idea. That is a goofy way to explain it, I guess, but maybe it will help. You just need to know, what is the next idea???

Thanks for the advice Kevin but I just finished my essay :).

The Age of Discovery

A question arises in one's mind when asked if the discovery of the New World was a positive or negative development. It can be analyzed from two perspectives; positive and negative. The discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus helped evolve the theory that there were more landmasses than Europe, Asia, and Africa. This major discovery sparked exploration to the West, which led to the formation of present North American countries. During the pre-Columbus era, Aboriginal people in America lived in harmony with their environment and treated it with respect. Civilizations, such as the Aztecs were more largely populated than many contemporary English cities. The Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán, was full of lush, green gardens, and managed to provided luxurious amenities such as running water and immaculately clean streets. During the 14th century, the occurrence of an epidemic was very common as Europeans lived in overcrowded cities, with no aqueducts or clean water. The discovery of the New World led to the deterioration of the local population of natives, due to a host of problems, such as the imposition of Christianity, spread of fatal diseases and slavery.

Columbus stated that the Earth was round and many landmasses lay on the East and West. The Spaniards were enthralled by the discovery as they saw this as a chance to spread their faith. This piloted the rise of Euro centrism; the belief that Europeans were superior in race. Columbus' discovery help the Spaniards establish colonies in the New World. These settlements helped the mercantilists to prosper. Monarchs allocated the traders with resources. Traders used these resources to produce capital through the exploitation of the Aboriginals and their work. Mercantilism increased the cash nexus and decline in the relationship between the employers and employees. The Columbian exchange was an exchange between two worlds; the East the West. Europeans brought many native plants, animals and foods unknown to the Indians. In return, they received resources like maize and tobacco. In this fashion, the Europeans did not have to give up their way of life. When European settlers first landed in the New World, somewhere around the West Coast, they brought with them, a variety of infectious diseases, such as the small pox, influenza and malaria. As the natives did not have sufficient immunity, they suffered greatly from these diseases. It is estimated that almost 90% of the native population died after the arrival of the Europeans. Disease was the real conqueror of America, much worse than any war.

The Spaniards believed that cheap and efficient labor was necessary to the success of the newly established colonies. At first, they exploited the available work force of Indians. But due to a decline in population due to many diseases, the Spaniards concluded that the native work force was weak. This marked the beginning of the slave trade. Spanish ships would trade resources with Africa for slaves. These slaves were shipped to the New World, where they worked for endless hours with no incentives. While these slaves added to the population and work force and increased productivity of many resources like sugar and tobacco, from a social point of view, these workers were stripped of their dignity and family and used as resources with no remorse from the Spaniards. Apart from importing these slaves to Spain, they were also transported to the Caribbean. The Spaniards used these human resource to improve settlements, in order to spread the word of god.

The natives had different beliefs from the Spaniards. They believed that fire, air, wind water, and land was a gift of god. They also had believed in sharing with others. The natives welcomed settlers with open arms and offered them protection, along with their resources. Europeans regarded this as an act of childishness. When Columbus made his second voyage, he brought with him, a crew of one thousand workers and many complex structures, which were reconstructed on La Navidad, the settlement established by Spain. Among these structures, was a church, which symbolized Euro centrism. The fall of Islam in Spain, offered the Jesuits an opportunity to further the spread of Christianity. From the 16th to the 18th century, many missionaries were sent to convert the Indians. Columbus was a figure of authority in La Navidad. The Indians rightfully rejected Christianity and destroyed many of the statues brought to the island by the Spaniards. As a result, many of them were burned and crucified. Many forceful conversions occurred in the New World. Despite the forced conversions and increasing influence of the church over the lives of people, the goals of Jesuits were to establish a common enduring faith which found a following among people around the world and to save the souls of people who believed in a different faith.

Due to the discovery of the New World by the Europeans, most of the native population declined to bare minimum. This was due to many problems such as the spread of alien, but lethal diseases, infliction of the Christian faith, and the practice of slavery. The Columbian exchange promoted the transfer of useful resources, that were not available earlier. Slavery became a powerful medium to express Ethnocentrism as it argued that the Caucasian race was a breed apart. The Spaniards were more enthusiastic about spreading their faith of Christianity around the world rather than conquering unknown territories and expanding their sphere of influence.

I think my conclusion is too short but I don't know what else to add to it.

My three major ideas are the ones I used on my thesis.

Thanks for all the help guys :D.

Thanks for all the advice guys. I am about to hand in the essay :).

paste it on here so we can review