Rachna Shah
APUSH: Log Entry #2
1.
Life in the big cities of Europe during Columbus’s time was not the extravagant life some people paint it to be. It was marked by outbreaks of disease, routine riots and city violence, a growing disparity between the rich and the poor, and treachery. It was a vivid picture of violence a place where epidemics vanquished ten to twenty percent of the population, injustice, a place where its entire population lived cautiously around one another.
The population of the European cities were in constant decline, because of in-migration (migration from the countryside). Had there been no in-migration, the population in the cities which was perpetually declining would have been extinct. At the time, around the…show more content… It was a world completely different from Europe; at the time, Europe was infested with treachery, betrayal, disease, and poor hygiene practices, and paranoia because of Plague outbreaks. The first island he “discovered” was present day Cuba, one he confused with the mainland, because of the size that seemed to be much larger than his homeland of Italy. Unlike Europe’s inclement winters, with harsh and cold weather, the islands were fertile and the summers were hot and balmy, and even year-round, the temperatures were satisfying. There were “lofty lands”, and the natural circumstances created high mountains, large flowing rivers, and most importantly, areas filled with foliage (England, especially, didn’t have that many trees after they were mostly cut down by lumberjacks, and lumber was needed to build ships, so the discovery of so many trees was wonderful for Columbus and his men). He also commented on the flora and fauna, saying that there were several different types of birds, fruits, and even metals. However, the people who inhabited it, though he treated as lesser beings, he believed that they were very primitive and trusting of one another; they walked around with very little clothing, had no use for weapons therefore did not make weapons, and were “artless and free with all they