Unit Test # 3 Essay

Alejandra Freile

Block C

Due January 28, 2010

APWH

UNIT TEST # 3 ESSAY

DOCUMENT BASED QUESTION

Historical Background:

The first Europeans to reach America, were the Vikings during the 11th Century. However, the European colonization at its full extent didn’t come until the end of the 15th Century. In 1492 Christopher Columbus, along with a Spanish expedition, landed on America, and this was the beginning of what would be a rapidly expanded and severe colonization. The first conquered land the Caribbean Sea region, followed by the mainland of North and much of South America. During the following years, until the 18th Century, the “New World” became a victim of exploitation and migration of the European countries as France, Spain, England, Holland, and Portugal. Gold was extracted and embezzled by the Eastern Hemisphere nations. Later on, other resources as silver andsugarcane were extorted, and America would become a major base for product and slave trade. Also, potatoes and maize were brought in from the Western Hemisphere, and Europe was enriched by the untouched nature of the Americas. Christianity, especially Catholicism, was severely imposed, especially by the Spaniards, and exploration crews were sent into what was once the home of the Mayas, the Aztecs, and the Incas, between others. Many countries sought territory in the new continent, and many were the purposes for colonizing these lands.

Address the following question using the subsequent 10 articles, and following the DBQ essay guidelines provided in the rubric:

What was the main purpose that allured explorers and conquistadors to the New World from the 15th to the 18th Century? Was it to explore, discover and learn; or was it purely to gain economic power and social stature? Discuss the distinct intentions and positions of Europeans in the Americas.

10 DOCUMENTS:

Document 1:

Apologetic History of the Indies by Bartolomé de las Casas (1566)

CHAPTER CXXVII.

THE INDIANS POSSESSED MORE ENLIGHTENMENT AND NATURAL KNOWLEDGE OF GOD THAN THE GREEKS AND ROMANS

(…)These Indian peoples surpassed the Greeks and Romans in selecting for their gods, not sinful and criminal men noted for their great baseness, but virtuous ones -- to the extent that virtue exists among people who lack the knowledge of the true God that is gained by faith…The following argument can be formed for the proof of the above: The Indian nations seem to show them selves to be or to have been of better rational judgment and more prudent and upright in what they considered God to be. For nations which have reached the knowledge that there is a God hold in common the natural concept that God is the best of all things that can be imagined. Therefore the nation which has elected virtuous men as God or gods, though it might have erred in not selecting the true God, has a better concept and estimation of God and more natural purity than one which has selected and accepted for God or gods men known to be sinful and criminal.

The latter was the case of the Greek and Roman states, while the former is that of all these Indian nations.... It seems probable that none of these Indian peoples will be more difficult of conversion than the ancient idolaters. First, because, as we have proved and are still proving, all these peoples are of good reason. Second, because they show less duplicity and more simplicity of heart than others. Third, because they are in their natural persons better adjusted, as has been proved above -- a quality characteristic of men who may more easily be persuaded of the truth. Fourth, because an infinite number in their midst have already been converted (although some with certain difficulty, namely, those who worshiped many gods; for it is not possible except by a great miracle for a religion so aged, mellowed and time-honored to be abandoned suddenly, in a short time or with ease -- as proven by all of the world's past and ancient idolaters)(…)

-Bartolomé de las Casas. Apologetic History of the Indies. 1566

Document 2:

Capt. Becknell's Tour

(..)I met in this vicinity, several parties of Indians, who were poor and inoffensive(…)We suffered every misery incident to such an enterprise in the winter season, such as hunger and cold(…) The flesh of a very lean horse, which we were constrained to break our fast with, was at this time, pronounced excellent. But when his bones were afterwards served up, as a matter of necessity, they were not as well relished, but had nearly proved fatal to the whole party. We found to our cost, that our stomachs, although tolerably commodiously disposed, were not equal to the task of digesting bones. You can readily imagine, that we were in that deplorable condition where it would be justifiable to adopt the philosophy of the ancient Romans, and give odds to die. But such is not the practice of Missourians. Although we were forty days from settlements, the snow three or four feet deep, and our small stock of horses, our principal reliance for effecting a retreat, considered sacred, so that to have eaten them would have been like dining upon our own feet, we still contrived to supply our tables, if not with the dainties of life, with food of the most substantial kind. For instance, we subsisted two days on soup made of a raw hide we had reserved for sealing our moccasins; on the following morning the remains were dished up into a hash. The young men employed by me had seen better days, and had never before been supperless to bed, nor missed a wholesome and substantial meal at the regular family hour, except one, who was with me when I opened the road to Santa Fe. When afterwards we were enabled to procure indifferent bear meat, we devoured it in that style of eagerness(…)

-Captain Becknell. Originally Published in theMissouri Intelligencer. June 25, 1825

Document 3:

“The inclinations of men differ according to their varied dispositions; and each one in his calling has his particular end in view: some aim at gain, some at glory, some at the public weal. The greater number are engaged in trade, and especially that which is transacted on the sea.”

-Samuel de Champlain. Voyages. 1604

Document 4:

As soon as we went on shore we found out, from some Indians taken, that there was a Christian in the country, one of the people who had come into it with Pánfilo de Narvaez, and we started in search of him. (…) He came naked like them, with abow and some arrows in his hands, his body wrought over like theirs. (…)Twelve years had passed since the Christian had come among the Indians. He knew their tongue, and, from the long habit of speaking that only, he was more than four days among us before he could connect an idea without putting to every word of Spanish four or five words of Indian, though he came after a while to recover our speech entirely. His knowledge of the country was so limited that he could tell us of nothing twenty leagues off, neither from having seen it nor by hearsay; however, from first seeing us, he said there was no place at which to find gold.

We entered the town and set it on fire, whereby a number of Indians were burned, and all that we had was consumed, so that there remained not a thing. We fought that day until nightfall, without a single Indian having surrendered to us- they fighting bravely on like lions. We killed them all, either with fire or the sword, or, such of them as came out, with the lance, so that when it was nearly dark there remained only three alive; and these, taking the women that had been brought to dance, placed the twenty in front, who, crossing their hands, made signs to us that we should come for them. The Christians advancing toward the women, these turned aside, and the three men behind them shot their arrows at us, when we killed two of them. The last Indian, not to surrender, climbed a tree that was in the fence, andtaking the cord from his bow, tied it about his neck, and from a limb hanged himself.

-Luis Hernandez Biedma. Relación de la Isla de la Florida, in Colección de Varios Documentos para la Historia de Florida. 1857

Document 5:

The Lord of Dollars

Over kings and priests and scholars
Rules the mighty Lord of Dollars.

Mother, unto gold I yield me,
He and I are ardent lovers;
Pure affection now discovers
How his sunny rays shall shield me!
For a trifle more or less
All his power will confess,
Over kings and priests and scholars
Rules the mighty Lord of Dollars.

In the Indies did they nurse him,
While the world stood round admiring;
And in Spain was his expiring;
And in Genoa did they hearse him;
And the ugliest at his side
Shines with all of beauty's pride;
Over kings and priests awl scholars
Rules the mighty Lord of Dollars.

He's a gallant, he's a winner,
Black or white be his complexion;
He is brave without correction
As a Moor or Christian sinner.
He makes cross and medal bright,
And he smashes laws of right,—
Over kings and priests and scholars
Rules the mighty Lord of Dollars.

-Francisco de Quevedo y Villegas. Don Dinero; Translation by Thomas Walsh: Lord of Dollars, from Hispanic Anthology.1580-1645

Noble are his proud ancestors
For his blood-veins are patrician;
Royalties make the position
Of his Orient investors;
So they find themselves preferred
To the duke or country herd,—
Over kings and priests and scholars,
Rules the mighty Lord of Dollars!(…)

(…)Such indeed his sovereign standing
(With some discount in the order),
Spite the tax, the cash-recorder
Still his value fixed is branding.
He keeps rank significant
To the prince or finn in want,—
Over kings and Priests and scholars
Rules the mighty Lord of Dollars.

Mightier in peaceful season
(And in this his wisdom showeth)
Are his standards, than when bloweth
War his haughty blasts and breeze on;
In all foreign lands at home,
Equal e'en in pauper's loam,—
Over kings and priests and scholars
Rules the mighty Lord of Dollars

Document 6:

-Casta Painting. De Espanol y Negra, Mulato. 18th Century

Document 7:

Thus we behold Kentucky, lately an howling wilderness, the habitation of savages and wild beasts, become a fruitful field; this region, so favorably distinguished by nature, now become the habitation of civilization, at a period unparalleled in history, in the midst of a raging war, and under all the disadvantages of emigration to a country so remote from the inhabited parts of the continent.

Here, where the hand of violence shed the blood of the innocent; where the horrid yells of savages, and the groans of the distressed, sounded in our ears, we now hear the praises and adorations of our Creator; where wretched wigwams stood, the miserable abode of savages, we behold the foundations of cities laid, that, in all probability, will equal the glory of the greatest upon earth. And we view Kentucky situated on the fertile banks of the great Ohio, rising from obscurity to shine with splendor, equal to any other of the states of the American hemisphere.

-Daniel Boone. The adventures of Daniel Boone. 1784

Document 8:

Alexander, bishop, servant of the servants of God, to the illustrious sovereigns, our very dear son in Christ, Ferdinand, king, and our very dear daughterin Christ, Isabella, queen of Castile…We have indeed learned that you, who for a long time had intended to seek out and discover certain islands and mainlands remote and unknown and not hitherto discovered by others, to the end that you might bring to the worship of our Redeemer and the profession of the Catholic faith their residents and inhabitants(…)

-Pope Alexander VI. The Papal bull Inter Caetera. May 4, 1493

Document 9:

Most High and Mighty Sovereigns,

In obedience to your Highnesses' commands, and with submission to superior judgment, I will say whatever occurs to me in reference to the colonization and commerce of the Island of Espanola, and of the other islands, both those already discovered and those that may be discovered hereafter.

In the first place, as regards the Island of Espanola: Inasmuch as the number of colonists who desire to go thither amounts to two thousand, owing to the land being safer and better for farming and trading, and because it will serve as a place to which they can return and from which they can carry on trade with the neighboring islands: (…)

-Christopher Columbus. Letter to the King and Queen of Spain. Approximately 1494

Document 10

-Spanish conquistador, drawing by Frederic Remington. 18th Century

PROMPT:

The European conquest of America, from the 15th to the 18th Century, was due to different purposes and demands from the landaccording to each perspective. Many intended to gain wealth and support their economy through trade from the New World, whereas some proposed to convert the natives to Christianity, several were convinced that natives belonged to an inferior race that had to be exterminated, and others simply wanted to gain honor for their brave explorations.

To begin with, it is clear that the vast majority of colonizers were in the new continent to trade and gain wealth through the American exploitation of natural resources. It is relevant that from the very beginning, the moment Columbus set foot onAmerica, Europe’s primary reason to settle was economical. In fact, in his Letter to the King and Queen of Spain, Christopher Columbus describes how that land (Island of Espanola) was the perfect site for safe and better farming and trade. (Document 9) This demonstrates that Christopher Columbus had very clear the purpose of his navigation: he strictly wrote to the Spanish kings about the economical and political measures that had to be taken. Later, much of the exploration and conquest sort of shifted from the original plannification, and many men intended to reach their own personal desires from the new land. For example, as Samuel de Champlain states: “The inclinations of men differ according to their varied dispositions; and each one in his calling has his particular end in view: some aim at gain, some at glory, some at the public weal. The greater numbers are engaged in trade, and especially that which is transacted on the sea.” (Document 3). Moreover, the Europeans were well aware of the natural resources that the new continent had, so they used the native people as slaves to exploit the land, send the raw materials to Europe, industrialized, and traded the demanded products with the Eastern world. Some of the popular products were gold, silver, potato, maize, and sugarcane, between others. Of course, the golden metal was the most popular item at the beginning. It was for gold that many sailed, killed, and died. For instance, Luis Hernandez Biedma, a Spanish soldier in Fernando de Soto’s army, narrates how in their expeditions a Spaniard recognized their seek for gold, and wasn’t able to tell them were to find it. In his narration, Biedma describes how they slaughtered Indians and destroyed nature to seek for the precious metal. (Document 4). Furthermore, in Document 2, Becknell’s narration illustrates the disastrous adventures and harsh moments he and his crew had to go on during exploration. He illustrates with detail the hardships of their voyage, and makes emphasis on the bravery his men had in order to advance. However, if you analyze the point of view of this European, it is easy to realize that the goal of this expedition was the gold that awaited them, and the promising future that came along. It is on his expedition through the Missouri river that Captain Becknell gains a cargo of about five thousand dollars to take back home. This demonstrates that the intention and perseverance of many explorers and conquistadors was a mere reflection of their economic ambitions. Finally, to culminate, it is Francisco de Quevedo´s poem, The lord of Dollars (Document 5) that explicitly reports the importance of gold and money in the colonization period. He describes money as the one sole item that unites all races, and joins every man’s desires into a single one. He clearly states that it comes from the Indies, America, into Europe and into the hands of every race and social position. It is relevant; therefore, that one of the main reasons of colonization, probably the primer, was economical.

On the other hand, many of the Europeans in America were there mostly to expand the word and the law of God. Some of them operated through extreme manners, as the Spanish inquisition for example, while others defended the goodness and the right of Indians to be taught in a civilized way. Many, however, used the word of God, and the duty to spread Christianity, as a cover up excuse for conquering the Indians and destroying their civilizations. For example, it is on the Papal bull Inter Caetera, that pope Alexander VI divides American land between European countries Spain and Portugal, and his primary excuse and “intention” is bring the worship of God and the practice of the Catholic faith into the natives. (Document 8). Furthermore, Daniel Boone illustrates in his journal, (Document 7), the praise and adoration of God from part of the Indians, as a result of a violent war. Also, it is on Account of his first Voyage, That Amerigo Vespucci depicts the paganism of the American people, and the lack of a house of prayer and sacrifice. Here, it is relevant that this description was practically the first one of his narration, giving evidence that this was more important than describing the place or the political structuring. However, there were amongst the first colonizers, some that believed in the true goodness of the natives and strongly believed in the possibility to teach them peacefully. For example, Document 1, Apologetic History of the Indies by Bartolomé de las Casas, states that the Indians chose virtuous deities, and that their primer mistake has been in choosing the wrong God. Later, Bartolomé de las Casas explains that Indians, though through a process and a period of time, will be capable of conversion to Catholicism. Likewise, another Christian, willing to accept and teach Indians, is described in Document 4. Biedma, a colonizer who arrived to an Indian colony and was surprised to find an adapted Christian in the settlement, describes him. He tells how the man had learned the native language, and taken the appearance of these people. This demonstrates, the willingness of some Christians to accept the differences of the Americans, and be capable of adapting before imposing their own faith. Either way, force or peace, it is clear that religious stretch was an important intention of Europeans in the New World.