More handpicked essays just for you.
What are the economic impacts of colonialism
Negative economic effects of colonialism
What effect has colonialism had on the world
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Key Benefits of Spanish Exploration of the Americas and Why Those Benefits Outweigh the Costs of Exploration
At the end of the 15th century, the Spanish King and Queen sent explorer Christopher Columbus on an expedition to find a route to Asia. This directive, instead, led to the discovery of a new continent, which launched a process of colonization of the newly discovered area as well as Spanish management of the area’s resources.
The effects of this development yielded both positive and negative effects, but the benefits of these expeditions, evident through primary sources, outweigh the costs. Some of these key benefits to Spain are increased convenience for farming and trade, the opportunity to spread Christianity, and access to resources
…show more content…
The vast amount of undeveloped land in the Americas was something unheard of in the small countries of Europe. In a letter to the King and Queen of Spain in 1492, Columbus (Letter 1: 3) writes of the New World: “...there are great and beautiful mountains, vast fields, groves, fertile plains, very suitable for planting and cultivating….” From this statement, it is clear that the Americas could provide a vital source of farmland to grow crops in much greater quantities to be used in Spain and traded throughout Europe. The wide variety of crops that could be grown were also an important aspect. In the same letter, Columbus (Letter 1: 3) believes the multiple varieties of palm trees native to the area to “far excel ours [Spain’s] in … beauty, just as all the other trees, herbs, and fruits do.” The …show more content…
The colonies provided a huge surge in income for the Spanish. One part of the income came from gold mining. The Americas, specifically South and Central America, had a large supply of gold. As gold was of incredible value in Europe, this peaked the interest of the Spanish King and Queen. Columbus (Letter 2: 3) discusses the process of sending gold to Spain in his letter to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella: “That in the said island there shall be a treasurer, with a clerk to assist him, who shall receive all the gold belonging to your Highnesses…” This shows the core of the push for exploration into the New World - gold. Gold was the main motivator. And the want for gold went stronger than just expeditions. It led to permanent Spanish settlements to mine the gold. In the same letter, Columbus (Letter 2: 3) addresses this when he writes, “As, in the eagerness to get gold, everyone will wish, naturally, to engage in its search…” The value for gold and subsequent motivation to get it, was enough to encourage a country to send people to live in a new land so they could mine
One question posed by the authors is “How did Columbus’s relationship with the Spanish crown change over time, and why?” In simple terms, Columbus’s relationship with the
This text was created to bring to light the hardship Natives went through during the Age of Exploration. The populous, who only hear rumors and short stories from all territories west of the Atlantic Ocean, cannot grasp the tough and difficult task that is at hand in the Americas. From these short blurbs of what is said about the west, they make inferences of what it is like, and how it is possible for another land mass to be unknown to many for so long. But for those who do know what is past the Atlantic, know that this Agenda of the King and Queen must be fulfilled and to do so would be to claim land for Spain for it to be settled upon. On top of that is to further collect the riches of the Americas to benefit Spain in the conquest of the Americas.
On October 12, 1492 Christopher Columbus landed on unknown territory, however, in his perspective of Earth he thought he made a new route to Asia. He travels throughout the lands, soon, he discovers new forms of inhabitant plants, as well as, indigenous people that were native to those lands. Years later he soon unravels that it was all unaccustomed terrain. The monarchy of Spain also discovers Columbus’s new discoveries, then, they send more explorers to conquer the lands. In 1520, Hernan Cortes goes with the order from Spanish royalty to go to the newly discovered lands to conquer them, also, help expand the Spanish empire. Overall, Columbus and Cortes both reported the new lands they recently discovered back to Spain, however, their descriptions
In 1492, Christopher Columbus was a self-made man who worked his way up to being the Captain of a merchant vessel. He gained the support of the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, for an expedition to the Indies. With the support of the Spanish monarchy, he set off to find a new and faster trade route to the Indies. Upon the arrival of his first voyage, Columbus wrote a letter to Luis de Santangel, a “royal official and an early supporter of his venture,” in February 1493 (35). The epistle, letter, entitled “Letter to Luis de Santangel Regarding the First Voyage” was copied and then distributed in Spain before being translated and spread throughout Europe. The Letter is held in such regard with the people as it is considered the first printed description of the new world. Through his description of the nature of the islands, Columbus decided the future fate of the islands. His description of the vast beauty of the nature around him, declares both the economic and nationalistic motivations for colonizing the new world.
In the mid 1400’s Spain and Portugal began to take separate routes of discovery. Prince Henry of Portugal, in reaction to the shortage of bullion in Western Europe, was interested in sending his captains to the African coast in search of gold. As a result, many Portuguese ports were established along the African coast and “The Portuguese were able to exploit at least a part of the African caravan trade they had sought.” (p.340) While Portugal was focused on expansion along the African coast; the Spanish were the first to discover the “new world” despite the lack of geographical knowledge the Spaniards and Columbus in particular possessed. This “new world” wasn’t quite what Columbus had though it was, however; as Columbus maintained to his death that he had reached Asia. He hadn’t, “He had landed at one of the Bahaman Islands, San Salvador.” (p. 342) Columbus’ distorted reality proved to...
Columbus' original plan was to prove that early geographers were wrong and that the world was larger than computed (William Howarth). He had sponsorship from the King and Queen of Spain who were finally convinced by Columbus by his belief that he was a divine missionary, ordained by God to spread Christianity (P. J. Riga). When he got to the New World he had found that there was the possibility that there might be an abundance of gold, and gold was the commodity Columbus pursued with obsessive zeal (William Howarth). It would seem to be an item that he had a lust for more than anything. An elder on Tortuga described "within a hundred or more ...
He was intending to reach Asia by sailing west rather than taking the traditional route around the Cape of Good Horn. On October 12, 1492, Columbus and his men landed on an island in the Bahamas. “As European adventurers traversed the world in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries they initiated the “Columbian Exchange” of plants, animals, and diseases. ”(P. 26). The Columbian Exchange refers to a period of exchanges between the New and Old Worlds.
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. However, even after centuries later, little is truly known of the mysterious voyage and findings of the new world.1 By examining “Letter from Columbus to Luis Santangel”, one can further contextualize the events of Columbus' exploration of the New World. The letter uncovers Columbus' subtle hints of his true intentions and exposes his exaggerated tone that catered to his lavish demands with Spain. Likewise, The Columbian Voyage Map read in accordance with the letter helps the reader track Columbus' first, second, third, and fourth voyage to the New World carefully and conveniently. Thus, the letter and map's rarity and description render invaluable insight into Columbus' intentionality of the New World and its indigenous inhabitants.
If you look at Cortes's actions from a Eurocentric view, there were many positive impacts. One of the main impacts were that he brought civilization to Mexico. Cortes and a few other conquistadors also helped to modernize Mexico. By taking out the Aztecs, Cortes put an end to
In the early 17th century, British colonizers began arriving in the New World in hopes of expanding their territorial domain. By the 18th century, Spanish colonizers had established trading posts and missions in the New World, covering a vast expanse of land that extended beyond even England’s colonial holdings. When the British arrived, they spurred on Indian depopulation and African and European immigration. The arrival of the Spanish resulted in near Indian extinction and a burgeoning international trade. Though Spain had an advantage of a century over Britain, both nations used the New World’s resources to further their mercantile goals, in the process, ravaging the native populations; however, Spain’s missionary efforts were more successful and the location of their respective colonies resulted in a monopoly of different economic commodities.
Spain’s initial goals were to discover gold or other mineral wealth, explore the new world, spread Catholicism, and overall, continue Christopher Columbus’s goal of finding passage to the east.
Several countries, the Americas included, fell victim to the conquistador’s voyages, and Latin America and Caribbean countries were no exception. Typically sponsored by the noble family, explores were set on finding their prize, which was motivated
Lots of different foods were brought to America such as bananas, watermelon, and wheat. There was also livestock such as cattle, pigs, and horses. These resources helped native Americans survive and learn new things about the world. Even though Columbus brought a lot of good things to America he also brought diseases such s typhus and smallpox that the native Americans had no cure too. This was problematic because people had to use more resources to find cures, and the population started to decrease which caused some cultures and traditions to die out. Even though some ways of living ceased to exist, Columbus brought new traditions to teach the natives in America. Since the main religion in Spain was Christianity, Columbus wanted to convert all of the natives and change their traditions to make them more European. All of these changes would affect the outcome of what America would be like in the future. Christopher Columbus made a big impact on America and started getting Europe interested in exploring there. Therefore many other people started traveling to America as
In conclusion, the motivations of Vasco da Gama's and Christopher Columbus's voyages were in many ways similar but also different. While they both sought an efficient maritime route to East Asia and elements of religious duty factored into both their voyages, Gama set out to find Christians rather than convert as Columbus intended. Though this distinction doesn't alter the reality of the Spanish overseas empire's repurposing itself as an exploitative mining and agricultural operation when it became clear that there were neither spices nor a Grand Khan to be found, it is still a difference worth noting when considering what stimulated the establishment of these world-changing intercontinental empires.
The most posing problems with the set routes to Asia, which went around the Cape of Good Hope and along the coast of Africa, were that it was very dangerous due to enemy colonies along the route and was also very long. These problems made some people, including Christopher Columbus, decide to turn to the west to find safer and faster routes to the riches of Asia. What they found was the Americas. Believing that he would reach Asia, Columbus accidentally found a new continent, full of new riches and unclaimed lands. All of this occurred near the end of the Renaissance, beginning with the founding of America in 1492, near the end of the 15th century.