Exploration and Effects on Native Americans
Explain what motivated the European world powers to explore the Americas.
The Americas’ colonization started with the arrival of the Spanish voyage headed by Christopher Columbus around 1492. Some argue that the desire to discover new trade routes to India and the Far East motivated the exploration of the Americas. Historians also write that the exploration brought about severe economic effects on the Native Americans, while others argue that the coming of Europeans led to the spread of infections such as measles, yellow fever, and smallpox (OpenStax, 2019). For this reason, a few critics of the European conquistadors believed they should be blamed for deliberately shipping the diseases to the Americas and infecting the Natives. However, so many of these factors are still debatable. This case study, therefore, specifically aims at discussing some of the reasons that motivated the exploration of the New World or the Americas, the economic effect of the Colombian exchange, the outcome on the livelihoods of the Native Americans, and whether Europeans conquistadors should be held liable for carrying the diseases to the New World or not.
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Factors that inspired the Europeans to conquer/explore the Americas
The first European voyage to the Americas started with the deep-sea crossing by Columbus, financed by Spain, with the initial objective to discover a new trade route to China and India, referred to as “the Indies.” Around this time (the late 1400s), the European population was expanding, but resources, such as land, forests, fish, gold, and silver, were dwindling. Therefore, the European leaders were desperate to find a new trade route to the Far East to source these new resources. Columbus accidentally stumbled on the Americas and sent a message to Spain detailing the new riches and resources in the “New World.” Word spread quickly, and all the European world powers, including the U.K., wanted a piece of the new cake to mine gold, silver and export food reserves to feed their growing populations back home. The exploration was also motivated by the desire to control the world and spread Christianity (OpenStax, 2019).
Describe the economic effects of exploration based on the Colombian exchange.
The Columbian Exchange impacted the New and Old Worlds by enabling the growth of large-scale economic exchanges and trade networks between the two regions. Specifically, it also exposed the “New World” to new markets, allowing it to export fish and other products (OpenStax, 2019). The ports in the Americas tremendously grew, and so did the livelihoods of people who directly depended on the trade. For Europeans (the Old World), the Americas presented a new source of food and wealth, with the importation of potatoes, corn, tomatoes, chilies, and other foodstuffs, proving to be a critical economic resource for the growing population.
Analyze the effects of exploration on Native Americans.
For Native Americans, the exploration was both a blessing and a curse. Firstly, as a good thing, the exploration brought new animals, such as pigs and horses, and new crops, such as barley and wheat. Pigs were an important food resource for the locals because of their high productivity, and they were cheap to maintain. However, they were a menace because they destroyed the cultivated lands by eating plant shoots, especially considering that Natives did not implement land fencing and mechanized agricultural farming at the time. On the other hand, horses allowed the Americas to travel and transport their farm produce for long distances – things they did previously on foot (OpenStax, 2019). On the downside, exploration brought with it a bunch of deadly diseases, such as smallpox and measles, which killed millions of Native Americans because they were unknown at the time, and locals had not developed immunity. Europeans also brought agricultural mechanization to the Americas, allowing Natives to grow foodstuff on a large scale and domesticated animals for commercial reasons.
Based on research, analyze if Europeans might be held accountable for transmitting Old World diseases to people in the Western Hemisphere.
In truth, Europeans are to blame for the spread of deadly infections, such as smallpox and measles, to the Native Americans, and they should be held liable for it. One of the reasons they should be held accountable is because of the ill motive with which these conquistadors carried the diseases – to infect and kill the Natives (Merbs, 1992). With the diseases wiping out thousands of villages across the Western Hemisphere, Europeans found less or no resistance to their rule, allowing them to conquer vast lands and exploit all the resources.
Conclusion
From this case study, it has been established that some of the reasons that motivated the exploration of the New World include the desire to discover a new trade route to China and India, the need to spread religion, and the need to find new resources, such as land, forests, fish, gold, and silver, for the growing population in the Old World. Also, it has been established that the Columbian Exchange impacted the New and Old Worlds by enabling large-scale economic exchanges and trade networks to grow between the two regions. For the Natives, the explorations positively brought in horses, pigs, and foreign crops while resulting in deaths due to diseases from Europe.
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References
OpenStax. (2019). U.S. history. OpenStax CNX. https://cnx.org/contents/[email protected]:gMXC1GEM@7/Introduction
Merbs, C. F. (1992). A new world of infectious disease. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology, 35, 3-42. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ajpa.1330350603
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Question 
Week 1 Assignment Case Study
D11:59 pm12 by 11:59 pm
Exploration and Effects on Native Americans
Points115
Submitting a file upload
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
- Textbook: Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4
- Lesson
- Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)
Optional Resources to Explore
Feel free to review the library guide for scholarly sources and videos at the following link:
- Link (website): History Library Guide(Links to an external site.)
Introduction
The purposes of each case study assignment include the following:
- To hone your abilities to research using scholarly sources
- To advance critical thinking and writing skills
- To compile a response to the prompts provided
- To explore a historical topic and make connections to change over time
Instructions
Pick one (1) of the following topics. Then, address the corresponding questions/prompts for your selected topic:
Option 1: Exploration and Effects on Native Americans
- Explain what motivated the European world powers to explore the Americas.
- Describe the economic effects of exploration based on the Colombian exchange.
- Analyze the effects of exploration on Native Americans.
- Based on research, analyze if Europeans might be held accountable for transmitting Old World diseases to people in the Western Hemisphere.
Option 2: Slavery vs. Indentured Servitude
- Explain how and why slavery developed in the American colonies.
- Describe in what ways the practice of slavery was different between each colonial region in British North America.
- Analyze the differences between enslaved people people and indentured servants.
Option 3: Women in Colonial America
- Pick two colonies (New England, Middle, or Southern colonies) and explain how women’s roles differ in the two colonies of your choice.
- Describe what legal rights women held during the colonial period.
- Analyze how Native women’s lives were different from colonial women’s lives.
Use your course text and incorporate an additional scholarly source from the Chamberlain Library in your response.
Writing Requirements (APA format)
- Length: 1-2 pages (not including title page or references page)
- Use the standard essay writing by including an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
- 1-inch margins
- Double spaced
- 12-point Times New Roman font
- Title page
- References page (minimum of 1 scholarly source)
- No abstract is required
- In-text citations that correspond with your end references
Grading
This activity will be graded based on the W1 Case Study Grading Rubric.
Course Outcomes (CO): 1, 3
Due Date: By 11:59 pm MT on Sunday
Rubric
W1 Case Study Grading Rubric – 100 pts
| W1 Case Study Grading Rubric – 100 pts | |||||||
| Criteria | Ratings | Pts | |||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeLength |
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5.0 pts | |||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeContent |
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10.0 pts | |||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAnalysis |
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30.0 pts | |||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSupport |
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25.0 pts | |||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWriting: Mechanics & Usage |
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15.0 pts | |||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeClarity & Flow |
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10.0 pts | |||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSource Integration |
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5.0 pts | |||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAPA: Citation and Reference Formatting |
|
10.0 pts | |||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAPA Paper Format |
|
5.0 pts | |||||
| Total Points: 115.0 | |||||||
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