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Colonization in the Americas
European colonisation of the new world
Colonization in the 1800s
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Recommended: Colonization in the Americas
The Europeans at the start of colonization offered various opportunities to promote the creation of settlements in the New World. Explorers have described the New World to be an exotic place, relatively different from the Old World, and were described according to how the Europeans have seen the wonders of the Americas. It is also noted that the Europeans described the Americas as wild, with various herbs, plants, animals, trees, and flowers around the settlement areas. The lushness of the jungles and the meadows also provided a compelling explanation of the New World, which the Europeans saw as an excellent way of promoting the settlements and in promoting colonization within the new promised land. However, the colonization process has made …show more content…
several changes to the Americas up to the present day. The natural resources are dwindling, the lushness of the jungles has become undone, and the Native Americans have been forced to live deeper into the mountains, robbed of their lands, to give way to the colonists. Perkins and Perkins (2008) asserted that the Europeans have a very experiential and visual form of describing the Americas to other Europeans in order to promote the cultivation of settlements and colonization.
The natural resources found within the New World were often depicted as new riches, wherein the “continent of unimaginable size” (3) is described as the major element that makes the New World a good place to live in. Furthermore, the abundance of exotic plants, animals, trees, and flowers made the explorers expand the view of colonization as an additional form of finding food sources. The animals were described to yield the best meat, while some colorful fishes and birds were described as amusing entertainment. The woodlands were described to yield good lumber, which is useful in many ways – from building fortresses, to houses and settlements, to carriages and even as firewood. It seemed that the Europeans have found the Americas as the complete opposite of the Old World, wherein the availability of the natural resources astounded the Europeans so much that they have forgotten the dangers of living in new lands, such as diseases and wild native inhabitants – such as the Native Americans. As strange as the New World is, it did not stop the Europeans from using the lushness and the abundance of its natural resources as the main reasons for creating a settlement and promoting colonization in the country. Various accounts about Virginia and New England gave emphasis on the abundance of useful crops, such as cotton, and the abundance of exotic fruits and plants, such as
bananas. The vastness of the natural resources were given more stories and promotion through the exploration of the colonists, who were able to see the differences between the New World and the Old World in terms of woodlands, climate, and the overall geographical elements that make the Americas an exotic place to live in. But this has a direct effect on the Native Indians. “The company’s conception of the New World was so unrealistic that it sent to Virginia a perfumer and several tailors. Epidemic fevers and Indian raids during the first few years reduced the colony as fast as new recruits could be brought in on the frequent supply ships. The Indians, whom the company had counted on for cheap labor, refused both enslavement and incentives…” (4) and this further attested to the problems which the colonists experience as they expanded the settlements. Defining this as the main problem, which was brought on by the exaggeration that the Europeans have with the new colony, showed the flawed attempt to make use of the natural resources in Americas – and its effects are still felt until today.
The seventeenth century marked the start of great colonization and immigration to the New World that was North America. Mainly in on the eastern coast of what is now the United States, England established colonies on this new land to thrive socially and economically. The English government readily sent its citizens to America to exploit its abundant source of raw materials and the English people exponentially came to the colonies to start a new life for themselves and to thrive socially. In Virginia during the seventeenth century, the geographical attributes in this region allowed the establishment of the cash crop tobacco to rapidly transform the colony socially and economically. Particularly in the Chesapeake Bay, the goal of social and economical development was achieved.
Along with an exuberance of gold and silver, plants such as corn, tobacco, potatoes, tomatoes, chocolate, sugar, and myriad other fruits and vegetables were introduced into European diets. The humble potato was especially adopted by the Irish; Tomatoes, the Spanish; and tobacco, the entire world. Due to the increased food supply, the European population exploded and necessitated the subsequent settlement of the ‘New World’.
Due to the harsh climate of the North, cash crops could not grow and therefore the northern colonies were well known for their richness in furs, fish, and timber. Because there was no need for a plantation, slaves were not introduced into the colony and therefore slavery was never morally accepted in the North. The Native American tribes of the Northeast were accepted in the New England colony and therefore trade flourished. Document E shows New England's toleration and fairness of the Native Americans by displaying the governments handling of trade, "receiving such moderate profit as may enable them to serve God and their neighbors with their arts an trades comfortably.
The Europeans changed the land of the home of the Indians, which they renamed New England. In Changes in the Land, Cronon explains all the different aspects in how the Europeans changed the land. Changing by the culture and organization of the Indians lives, the land itself, including the region’s plants and animals. Cronon states, “The shift from Indian to European dominance in New England entailed important changes well known to historians in the ways these peoples organized their lives, but it also involved fundamental reorganizations less well known to historians in the region’s plant and animal communities,” (Cronon, xv). New England went through human development, environmental and ecological change from the Europeans.
The European exploration and colonization resulted in commercial expansion of trade in agricultural products between Europe and America. In some time, colonization resulted in religious tolerance and representative government that have for several years encouraged similar developments in other countries. In addition, early European exploration led to redistribution of human populations as magnitude of people from Europe and Africa moved to America. Before the colonization and exploration period, the Native Americans had established a number of forms of social organization.
“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. The exchange of plants, animals, diseases and more modernized technology, beginning after Columbus landing in the Americas in 1492. It lasted through the fifteenth and sixteenth century. Domesticated animals such as cattle, horses, sheep and pigs were introduced to the Americas. The Americas introduced to Europe many new crops such as potatoes, beans, squash, and maize. In time Native people learned to raise European livestock and European and Africans planted American crops. This was the positive effect of the encounter and it was largely responsible for the doubling of the world’s population in the next three hundred years. There were also many negative effects to the “Columbian Exchange” A major consequence was the spread of disease in the New World. Diseases carried by Europeans and Africans devastated the population of the Americas. As Europeans traveled through the Americas epidemics came with them. Typhus, diphtheria, malaria, influenza, cholera, and smallpox killed many of the native people. One example was
Europeans saw the world from a vantage point that was wholly different than that of the Native
When Europeans first came to the New World in the late 16th century they were entering new territory and had no idea what to expect. Their views on everything from geographic, politics, climate, to diet, etc. where about to change, and their need for survival would hopefully outweigh these challenges. Only small parts of this new world had ever been explored over the past century, and what information the new settlers had was lacking. The new settlers had assumed the climate would be like that of Europe in the New World and that the weather would be similar and their crops would grow like they did back home. But that was not the case, as they came to find out the summers were hot and the winters were harsh, and many of there crops did not grow. They also believed the New World to be largely uninhabited, as the Indians did not live like they did back home in permanent villages and towns, but rather off the land traveling, as they needed.
After the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus, European Nations competed in a race against one another to claim pieces of the new land. Before Columbus found this land, the sea separating the New World from Europe seemed endless, and mundane. The Europeans were only interested in the land to the East. But with the New World as a new hat thrown into the ring, the Europeans tossed aside their old toy to go play with a new one. This time period of conquest over the New World was known as the Age of Exploration, and by the 1700s, they kept their pickings. A New World meant more land to build homes and plant crops, and more money to be earned by buying out new houses and selling new crops grown in foreign soil. Spain claimed Mexico, and the Southwest portions of what would be known as America. France got their hands on most of present-day Canada, as well as Louisiana. The Dutch set foot on land they called New Amsterdam, however, The English, who had settled their first colony in Jamestown, Virginia, drove the Dutch out and claimed New Amsterdam for themselves, later renaming it New York. The English claimed more land as time passed, and eventually they had formed 13 different colonies in the Eastern part of America. The English Colonies were separated into 3 different regions. The New England Colonies (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire), the Middle Colonies (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware), and the Southern Colonies (Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia). The New England Colonies were the earliest of the 3 regions, founded by English Settlers seeking religious freedom. The Middle Colonies were also founded by settlers seeking religious freedom. The Southern Colonies,...
When the Europeans explored the Americas, they were introduced to new plants, foods, and animals, as well as riches and land. Foods such as corn, white and sweet potatoes, beans, tomatoes, cacao, fruits, peppers, peanuts, sugar cane, and tobacco were many of the new foods enjoyed by Europeans. Some animals such as wild turkeys, llamas, and alpacas, were brought back to Europe. Native American Indians traded furs with the Europeans, which were luxury items throughout Europe. The discovery of lands rich in gold, silver, and other treasures prompted the conquistadors to launch expeditions to the Americas, while reports of newly discovered lands abundant in resources, lured many other Europeans to the Americas in search of a new and better life.
The colonisation of Australia occurred throughout 1788-1990. During this time, Great Britain discovered Australia and decided that it would become a new British colony (“Australian History: Colonisation 17-88-1990”, 2014.). It was decided that convicts would be sent to Australia and used for labour to build the new colony. There are many health determinants that are effecting the health of Indigenous Australians including; poor living conditions, risk behaviours and low socioeconomic status. Many of these determinants have an effect on the Indigenous Australians due to the colonisation of Australia.
There are many legacies of colonialism that impacted the development of Latin American republics. As well, many of these legacies still thrive throughout modern Latin America. A legacy that impacted Latin America and still continues to affect it, is the change that colonialism caused with ancestral knowledge. Before colonialism, many parts of Latin America were inhibited by many tribes such as the Mayans. As colonialism swept through these parts of Latin America, these tribes started to diminish because of the “growing and ecological strains”, when this occurred, tribes disbanded and ceased to continued. Now these societies which once flourished, has not gone back to the way that it once was. One of the most profound legacies is religion in Latin America. The Catholic church had a part in the development of the continent. Missionaries helped build premises such as schools, hospitals and other buildings which benefited the communities. Even with the help they provided, missionaries also did harm. They caused people to change the way the practiced their religion. The aspects of the way religion was practiced before changed for the worst. The people had to entirely alter how they practiced religion and by doing so, many parts of their true identity needed to be forgotten. Lastly, colonialism
When the European empires started exploring, they discovered the New World, or North, Central, and South America. They settled colonies and started planting crops like tobacco and cotton. As demand quickly grew in Europe for these pr...
Upon the European’s discovery and colonization of the Americas an irreversible transformation was triggered. The extreme differences in the cultures of the Europeans and Native Americans would prove to be fatal to the way of life that existed before European colonization.
An overwhelming majority of African nations has reclaimed their independence from their European mother countries. This did not stop the Europeans from leaving a permanent mark on the continent however. European colonialism has shaped modern-day Africa, a considerable amount for the worse, but also some for the better. Including these positive and negative effects, colonialism has also touched much of Africa’s history and culture especially in recent years.