Age of Exploration and its effects on slave trade and America

European influence in the Americas commenced in the late fifteenth century, when

Christopher Columbus set sail for the Indies.However, he discovered a "new world", the

Americas. This phenomenal breakthrough would forever change the complextion of the world.

European prominence in the Americas can be viewed as a catastophe. These newcomers

exploited gold and silver from the native americans. A more severe consequence to the native

americans was the exposure to "old world" diseases such as smallpox and malaria. Their lack of

resistance to European diseases lead to a drastic decline in Indian population. On the contrary, the

European encounter with the Americas can be seen as an inevitable evolution in history with

long-run positive results. The exchange of crops and animals helped both worlds develop and

prosper.

The first Europeans to reach the Americas were the Norse seafarers from Scandanavia.

These voyagers weren't supported by expansionists, which lead to the dismisal of their discovery.

Centuries later, many Europeans desired contact with a new world for conquest or trade. The

Christian crusaders exposed goods like silk, perfumes, and spices to Europe. These Luxuries of

the Eastern hemisphere were quite expensive and had to be transported enormous distances. In

attempt to reach the eastern hemishpere quicker the spanish monarchs supported a seafarer

Christopher Columbus to sail west in attempt to find a new route to the Indies. Accidentally,

Columbus stumbled upon an island in the bahamas. This accidental discovery made Columbus's

voyage incredibly succesful.

A terrible problem resulting from European invasion of the Americas was the spread

of disease. The two seperate ecosystems clashed as Columbus's crew landed in the Americas.

Europeans carried the germs that caused smallpox, yellow fever, and malaria. The Native

Americans isolation from the rest of the world had wiped out these protective antibodies. Within

fifty years of Spanish arrival, the Taino natives population dropped from one million people to

about two hundred. These lethal germs spread quickly throughout America. A century later,

approximately ninety percent of the Native Americans were eradicated from the planet. There

has never been an epidemic this large in human history.

The Spanish conquistadors thirsted for gold and power. A famous conquistador Cortes

conquered the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan. He set out for God, gold and Glory. He was able to

conquer the Aztec capital partly because the Aztec ruler Montezuma believed that Cortes was a

God whose return had been predicted. Cortes laid seige on the city in 1521, the year a smallpox

epidemic broke out in Mexico. The coalescence of conquest and disease broke down the Aztec

empire and gave way to Spanish rule for three centuries.

Anyhow, the European encounter in the Americas had many positive effects. Exchanging

animals and crops between the two worlds helped many people. New World plants such as

tobacco, maize, and potatoes changed the world economy and European diet. About three-fifths

the crops group grown today were established in the Americas. Also, foodstuffs in the Americas

helped feed a population boom in Africa. The Old World brought over plants such as apples

and grapefruits. The introduction of horses in the New World started in Mexico and eventually

spread to Canada, Indian tribes like the Apaches and Sioux embraced horses into their culture,

which created mobile hunting societies throughout the Great Plains.

In addition to these positive results, Europeans also brought their language, laws,

customs and religion to the people of America. In Mexico, these aspects of European culture

proved to be useful. Also, there was a shortage of females and many European men intermarried

with the Native American women creating a new culture known as Metizos. Spanish America

blossomed in many different aspects. Cathedrals were built, printing presses turned out books,

and universities were built in many cities.

The unexpected discovery of the Americas can be seen in two contradicting views.

The colossal amount of death amongst native americans has brought about the idea of the

Black Legend. This belief states that the Spanish only killed, tortured, and stole in the

Americas. Nevertheless, the European encounter with the Americas brought about many

longterm positive effects, such as the swapping of foods, animals, technology, and culture.

These unfavorable and beneficial results of the European encounter with the Americas has

directly shaped it's history and future.