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The Spanish conquest and its consequences
An essay about spanish conquest
Spanish conquest perspective
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The first conquests were made by the Spanish and Portuguese. They had desires to spread their religion into the newly discovered by Columbus “New world”. After the expedition Columbus headed, in which he landed in the Americas and first colonized the islands of Cuba, puerto rico, and Hispaniola, colonization rapidly expanded. Conquistadors primarily poor nobles, descended on America with hopes of bringing Catholicism to the new lands while extracting great riches in forms of gold and art. Religion and self-interest combined to be such desirable possibilities that hundreds of thousands of poor Spaniards took the journey across the ocean with hopes of finding riches. Spain's methods of conquest were by far the most cruel and aggressive out
History is full of people fighting against one another and going to war for all types of different reasons. For the most part countries go to war to either protect their way of life, or for a better way of living. We want to preserve certain aspects of life like our rights, as well as helping others gain or maintain them, we also want to be able to prosper as a country. When one or some of these things are threatened a country will go to war. Some wars that fallow this trend include the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War. Besides protecting or bettering life, war can also make or break a countries economy.
The Mexican-American War - Debate The Mexican-American war began in 1846, but reasons for the war began much earlier when Mexico made the crucial decision to entice settlers to Texas, with the promise of affordable land grants, actions which eventually led to the annexation of Texas by the United States. All they had to do was accept Mexico 's requirements of becoming citizens, speaking Spanish and converting to Catholicism, this to people who were use to a government that people had rights and freedoms, not experienced in Mexico. Mexico wanted them to develop these long uninhibited lands of Texas, in hopes that it would promote development in the area.(Nardo, 1991, p. 16). The selling of land grants started in the 1820s and the Mexican-American James W. Fannin took over the garrison at Goliad manning it with 350 untrained volunteers with guns, who would be considered pirates to Mexico.
Religion played a major role in expansion for both the Portuguese and the Spanish due to their extensive anti-Muslim crusade. Due to the over zealous religious fervor of the Christian Iberians, Christianity and thus the Iberians expanded into parts of western Europe during the crusades as Christians tried to convert the Muslims who were occupying this area. The Iberians did not stop with the European mainland; they were also expanding overseas. They were interested in the fertile land of the Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores and Cape Verde. These islands would also prove to be strategic acquisitions for the Iberians, as they would eventually provide the Iberians with bases and ports to be used for commerce. Throughout the 15th century the Spanish and Portuguese had been exploring lands throughout the Atlantic which drove Queen Isabella of Spain to commission Christopher Columbus in 1492 to “Discover and acquire islands and mainland in the ocean sea” (p.340) which eventually led to the discovery of North America.
THE SPANISH CONQUEST of the Americas is an interesting story of exploration, wealth, greed, devastation and death. The Aztec civilization, which lived in what we know today as central and South America, began to come under threat from European explorers during the late 15th century. The Aztec civilization was one of the most spectacular in the world, and at its heart was the masterpiece of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. However, the prosperity and wonder of the Aztecs came to an end with the arrival of Hernan Cortés and his Spanish conquistadors. Hernan Cortés’ unjustified barbaric actions caused the total demise of one of the most diverse, powerful, creative and advanced civilizations in all of history.
The Spaniards had a head start in exploration the New World. Soon after Christopher Columbus discovery of the Bahamas in 1492 The Spaniards focused their efforts on New World colonization. (Berkin, 25) According to Roman Catholics, the Treaty of Tordesillas granted Spain exclusive exploration to the Western Hemisphere, which included North, South and Central America. (Berkin, 25) The Spaniards quickly claimed regions, located precious metals such as gold & silver, and Christianized local natives. (Berkib, 27) Soon the Spaniards began minting silver coins that
One of the clearest examples of a conquest culture is Latin American Catholicism, which originated in the Aztec civilization before the Spanish conquest. The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire began in 1519 and lasted for two years. The In order to achieve such a swift victory over a massive empire, the Spanish allied itself with the numerous rival tribes of the Aztecs in addition to its own men. Throughout the Spanish conqu...
The Spaniards arrived at the Americas prior to the English. The Spanish mainly wanted to explore in the first place because after the Black Death, the population increased, and thus, so did the frequency of commerce. There was a sudden new interest in new products and the new strong monarchs who sponsored the journeys wanted to be more affluent. Therefore, explorers such as Christopher Columbus attempted to go west to target Asia. However, he ended up on Cuba and called the natives Indians. The Spanish soon started to consider the Americas less of a blockage and could now see it as a source of resources. In 1518, Cortes arrived into Mexico with his group of conquistadors, or conquerors, which is a proper name because the men after gold exterminated native areas using their military skills, brutality and greed to turn the Southern America into a vast Spanish empire. The smallpox the Spanish unknowingly carried also helped wipe many people out. When they saw the religious ceremonies of the Aztecs that produced many skulls, they thought of these people as savages and not entirely human. This of coarse was quite hypocritical because the Spanish have killed before during the Inquisition for their faith. It was this contempt that made them think it was all right to slaughter the natives. Spanish colonies were established when conquistadors had gotten a license to finance the expedition from the crown to fixture encomiendas. These encomiendas were basically Indian villages that became a source of labor. The Spanish dreamed of becoming wealthier from South America, but they also wanted a profitable agricultural economy and to spread their Catholic religion (the Pueblo Indians converted to Christianity), which became very important in the 1540s.
An explorer name Christopher Columbus from Spain wanted to find a water route from Western Europe and Asia. He was not successful, but instead he did find something that changed everything. Columbus discovered the Americas by sailing with the Spanish Monarchs. Conquistadors are leaders in the Spanish conquest of America. They went to explore America to conquer the Native Americans, to spread Christianity, and find gold and treasure. The Conquistadors were a negative part of the Columbian Exchange, they stole riches from the New World’s land, and killed many of the Native people.
The Counter-Reformation was a response to the Reformation. Realizing that the popularity of Christianity was decreasing, Jesuits traveled to spread Christianity. Their goal was to have people join the Catholic Church. In the Age of Exploration, the Jesuits were able to travel to South America –– something that they weren’t able to do before. Both Spain and Portugal had motives for exploration. The Spanish wanted to spread Christianity among the Guaraní tribe. The Treaty of Madrid allowed the Portuguese to own the land of the Guaraní, which led them to be in danger from the slave trade. This is because of mercantilism –– where the nation’s strength is depended on its wealth. They believed that there is a fixed amount of wealth in the world, this led to intense competition between the nations. In the beginning, Mendoza, a slaver and mercenary, would kidnap natives and sell them to plantations. Cabeza, the Spanish governor, bought these slaves from Mendoza. The Counter-Reformation and Age of Exploration heavily influenced the actions of the Spanish and
The history of development of European empires in the Americas dates back to the early sixteenth century. Western Europe created vast colonial empires in the Americas. Of the various colonial empires, the Spanish and English were the most prominent which brought a dramatic change in the natural and human environment in the Americas. The voyage of Christopher Columbus in August 1492 marks as the formal beginning of European entry in the Americas. While arriving at in the New World, Christopher Columbus was filled with an immense ambition for colonizing the islands and gathering riches. Both the English and Spanish had more or less the same core motive in coming to the Americas. However, the English and Spanish differ largely in their approach to accomplish their goals.
(1450-1750) America, Home to the Native Americans, home to the Aztecs, the Incas, and a lot of woodland creatures. This is where the natives home was, where they could farm and hunt and gather. But, everything changed for good when Christopher Columbus, trying to reach the East Indies, discovered the “new world” or America (1492). This sparked the age of exploration when rumors of the new world’s wealth spread. Later, in the 16th century, the Spanish built a large empire in the Americas. The Spanish conquistadors conquered the Aztec and the Inca empires. Spanish explorers traveled through the borderlands of New Spain, claiming and conquering more land. Some of these explorers include De Soto, Coronado, Cortes, and Pizzaro. Theses conquests
From 711-1492, Christian Spaniards lived under Moorish rule until eventually, the Christian Kingdoms took over during the Reconquista. The conflicts between the Muslims and Christians created a militaristic culture in Spain that surpassed that of any other European nation. Furthermore, being trained militarily was often exclusively attributed to the nobility however, in Spain, “many young men knew these skills and used them to their advantage.” Without a doubt, recently reconquering their homeland motivated the Spanish to a basis for expansion and conquest that most other European societies were lacking. In addition, the voyages of Christopher Columbus led to discovering the New World which undoubtedly contributed to added interest in conquest. Eventually, each conquest further raised Spanish hopes for fame and
The following describes the process in which nations pressed their influence into the new world. Da Gama, the epitome of an explorer and warlord as aforementioned, and other explorers like Columbus and Raleigh delineated this period (Biography.com, Morison). It is with this that the Portuguese explored the coasts of East Africa and Hindu-Muslim dominated regions of the Far East. In the same manner Spanish colonized most of American south and the English landed in separate occasions around the American northeast. Contrary to popular belief, the famous explorer Christopher Columbus was not altruistic but initiated transatlantic slavery and slaughtered numerous natives, he is a prime example of Spain's dominating approach. The English explorers such as Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake did their respective ventures, although to a less barbarous manner. Raleigh commanded a charter to explore much of South America and Northern America for gold and riches while Drake held the role as Britain’s season, sea dogs, or hired
The Norman Conquest was one for the history books. Lead by William the Conqueror, it united England with Normandy under one rule and law. While the events leading up to William’s decision to conquer England caused the English people unsubtlety to have him as their new king, the Norman Conquest actually had a lot of good outcomes, ones that helped shape the world as we know it today. These benefits where not just for the interest of the king or the noble, but they were made by William himself with the English people’s best interest in mind. While there are many great benefits from this even, only three of them will be mentioned here.
The race to God, Gold, and Glory was a huge motivating factor for any nation going to explore the New World. However, Spain was a new nation and they were desperately on the search for riches. To add, in the 1490s global expansion was on a major rise. The New World and all its unclaimed land and raw materials made nations eager for its riches. The Spanish also funded many ventures because they were determined to globally spread their Christian faith and gain as much wealth and raw materials as possible. After approximately seventy-five years of Spanish exploration in the new world, the St. Augustine sentiment was found in Florida. English Colonist; however, settled the New world for different reasons. At that time religious persecution was a major problem and the English colonist were desperate for freedom. There were English colonist that were seeking wealth and land in the New World just as the Spanish were, however that wasn’t