Essays /
Discovery of the "New World" [15]
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.