The Age Of Discovery: The Role Of Colonization In The New World

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The Age of Discovery was a period of time for the Old World to claim their own parts of newly found territory in the west in search for personal gain. Countries like Spain, Portugal, France, and England competed for land that was already inhabited, doing anything they could to get what they desired. Resulting from the European dominance in trade, exploration, and colonization, the most significant consequence of the Age of Discovery was the lasting harsh treatment of Native American and African people and the destruction of their cultures. When the knowledge that land existed on the other side of the world, opportunities for countries and people opened up. Over everything, people wanted fame and riches. Valuable resources such as gold or silver…show more content…
Christopher Columbus, the explorer known for establishing the first permanent connection with the New World, sailed for Spain and because of this, Spain explored the Caribbean. However, many of Spain's settlements were also located in South America, Central America, and the lower areas of North America. Spain had two major reasons to colonize in the Western Hemisphere: the search for gold or silver and the spread of religion. To find riches, Spain would set up mines in areas such as modern day Mexico or South America, often enslaving the native people for free labor. When noticing a decrease of the indigenous population, Spain began to use slaves they received from other countries that traded with West Africa. Along with setting up mines in these areas, Spain would also establish missionaries in order to convert the natives to Christianity. Religion was not the only thing Spain gave to the indigenous people. Diseases were spread, killing rapidly. Parts of cultures and previously established civilizations were lost in both Africa and the New World because of these diseases, slavery, and unremorseful…show more content…
Profit was everything to the England. A leader of the Jamestown settlement agreed. This, along with the idea that the natives and Africans were savages in need of education on civilization and Christianity, is likely what drove them to believe that their slavery was justified. Treatment of Native Americans was different in each of the major countries' colonies, but they all are guilty of taking what was already owned. Each country erased the full potential of the native population when they arrived. They destroyed civilizations by conquering, demolishing, and establishing reservations. Cultures were wiped out when the indigenous people were converted or killed. Diseases were afflicted onto the natives and some Europeans were heartless enough to murder them. Even when the population decrease was noticeable, Europeans simply replaced the enslaved Native Americans with African slaves. The countries that explored in the Age of Discovery are responsible, intentionally and unintentionally for the deaths of entire groups of

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