Deloria

Early modern Europe, specifically Spain and England, was going through major growing pains in the period before discovery and settlement of the New World. Recovery from the Black Plague, religious reformation, and newly formed nation-states were on the forefront of these changes. The political environment, economy, and religion were all intertwined during the upheaval of the Old World which proved to be a driving force in the search for and eventual settlement of new lands.

The 14th century all the way towards the 18th century marked Europe's conquest of the "new world" or the Americas in hopes of expanding and improving their empires. These centuries show the priorities of the individual European states and their motivations to conquer the new world. The most important factors that guided the Europeans to the conquest of the new world are the need to grow a larger land base to sustain their economy, the burning desire for wealth, and the want for a new beginning for the oppressed minorities in Europe. The growing population in Europe required more space and land to grow crops and other materials to sustain their population and economy, making the Americas an ideal place to conquer. Wealth was also an incentive

Answer 1.The environmental factor that promoted the Europeans to colonize other places is because the European people had a large population of people. Because of the large population of people there was limit supply of natural resources and available food supply to support the country. Furthermore, majority of the people in Europe was in poverty, this situation means that society did not have stability in the Europeans society. The supplies in Europeans were dwindling fast and they needed another alterative. For example, when people started to build dams, the fish population suddenly declined. Europeans lakes and rivers were dirty and the seas that surrounded them were starting to be depleted. Additionally, the fresh water supply started to decline, the rivers were not reliable for the farmers. As a result, this situation caused Europeans to look for other places to explore. Lastly the Europeans had a lot of wars which caused many issues. North American was and ideal place to settle and had an abundant supply of natural resources.

In the late 1400s, Europeans became interested in colonizing other countries. After Columbus’ journey, The Pope wrote a letter to King Ferdinand of Spain giving permission to colonize the Americas. Afterwards when King Ferdinand was granted permission to colonize the Americas, King Ferdinand wrote a letter to the Taino/Arawaks intimidating them that if they do not accept Christianity, then they will face the consequences which were war, enslavement, and having their resources robbed. Essentially, either join or we’ll slaughter you. The reasons King Ferdinand were trying to colonize the Americas were that they wanted power, money, control, more land, etc. The Pope was believed to be connected to God, therefor the European people gave The Pope respect. So if The Pope gave King Ferdinand power, and those who followed The Pope would also follow King Ferdinand, therefor giving him respect, and power. The rest of the European kings also follow the Pope. This essay is about the consequences, justification(reasoning for giving permission), and permission. The consequences of not accepted the Christian rule, and god, were being enslaved, war, raided, etc. The King’s justification for colonizing the Americas were that of obtaining more money, and power. The Pope granted the King of Spain permission to conquer any land that is not Christian, because the Pope justified that everyone should be Christian and that it would make their life a lot better if they decided to accept the rule.

Although the most obvious manifestation of this doctrine is expressed in the field of politics, its essence is religious. In the sixteenth century there was a religious schism that divided Europe into two opposing groups: Catholics and Protestants. This political and spiritual jolt initiated a sharp competition between Catholic and Protestant countries. In the New World Catholic Spain and Protestant England sought to carry out their spiritual, political and economic ideals. Each power shared in its colonizing beginnings the same religious fury and evangelizing impetus with respect to the natives, but the principles of each religion created very different colonial societies. The British Puritans who colonized the East coast of the United States were deeply immersed in their religion. The Puritan community and political life were developed in strict adherence to their moral law, with the conviction that the New World was promised Land where they would fulfill the mission entrusted to them by God to colonize the new lands, even in spite of the indigenous

Religious motives of the ‘Old Land’ of Europe’s exploration can be traced back to the days of the Crusades down to the 11th and 15th century, where the European Christians tried to invade and claim the city of Jerusalem from its Muslim control. The struggle between the Islamic rule and the European Christians planted the ideology of ‘Reconquista’ in the latter’s religion. It influenced the Christian religion with an air of religious intolerance. With the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, European Catholic’s interests in colonizing newer lands and declare global dominance earned a new momentum. And strong Catholic nations of Spain and Portugal were the

After the muslims conquered constantinople, europeans wanted find sea routes to reach asian countries quicker and cheaper, This was due to the want of things such as silk and spices. Columbus traveled west, hoping to find Japan and China but found the New World Instead. The Europeans and the natives were both harmed and benefited through the European westward expansion. This was shown when animals were exchanged as well as many goods such as food and crops. Which benefited mainly to the Indian tribes and as well as european society. Europe also gained a lot of wealth from establishing colonies in the new world with mercantilism. Many harm was also done to both sides, it was shown when the Europeans set up the colonies in the new world, many

The existence of a significant degree of religious influence in Europe provided grounds for the unification of many Europeans, which later contributed to the European empires’ attempt to promote and practice imperialism.

“Military conquest and religious conversion advanced together throughout the Americas- the sword and the cross marched side by side” (Eakin, 123). Europeans used religion as a way to control the Native population. First able, Catholic ideologies had great influence over the actions of the people who professed it. By converting Natives to Catholicism, Europeans sought to subjugate them. Europeans used religion as a way to better understand Natives and make the conquest easier.

How did Europeans conquer so much of the globe, laying waste to the indigenous civilizations and helping themselves to the natural resources of the lands they settled? Was it because the Europeans were superior to the indigenous people? Or was something far larger behind the European success at colonization? These are questions that Dr. Jared Diamond, a professor at UCLA, sought to answer in his book “Guns, Germs and Steel”, a fascinating look at why Europeans succeeded in expanding across multiple continents, and why the native populations fared so badly in the face of European exploration.

First of all, the Europeans brought Christianity with them, and in their minds, unless a person believed in Jesus Christ, they were set to go to Hell. With this idea in mind, the Europeans taught the people they had colonized the ways of Christianity, thus saving them from their savagery and spending an eternity in Hell (Palmer et al. 575). Europeans also set up schools in many places that they colonized, and while often very exclusive, they still brought education to areas where most children learned their parents trade, and nothing more (Hobson 211). Perhaps most importantly, Europeans brought new forms of government to many of their colonies, especially in Africa, which was made up of mostly tribes (Said 154). These tribes didn’t exactly get along very well, leading to constant warfare and instability across the continent. When the Europeans came in, they brought new ways of controlling populations that by no means stopped fighting, but to an extent, reduced some of the violence, as there were consequences put in place (Lynn). Reducing violence was not something every European nation was able to ensure for their colonies, but when it did happen, those nations developed for the

Europeans sought out lands that provided new sources of raw materials, cheap labor, markets, areas of investment, and military boosters. As European nations became competitive with one another, there was an increased pressure to practice Imperialism to maintain power. New Imperialism was motivated greatly by the Industrial Revolution and its advancements, and efficiency of manufacturing and supplying products. European nations also focused on opening trade routes that would give them places to sell their goods. Also significant was the Europeans desire to Christianize and “civilize” other nations through missionary work and the enforcement of European cultures and beliefs. The new Imperialism brought on social changes as well. Many people urged the taking up of the “White Man’s Burden”, bringing the European version of civilization to the rest of the world, regardless whether they wanted it or not.

There are many reasons as to why the Europeans were able to make empires far away from their homelands. The first reason being that Europeans were near the Americas unlike their opponents (Asia) in which were father away. The Europeans were determined to gain more land, enlarge the religion of Christianity, and expand the economy by gaining more territory. Every European had their own reasoning for wanting to expand therefore, everyone had their own motives. Another reason that enabled them was that they were also involved in trading which helped them transport items to and from the Americas. The last reason was the Europeans immunity to diseases. While many Americans fell ill because of all of the European diseases, the Europeans did not, enabling them to conquer more land.

Before the beginning of the Early Modern Era, Europeans were threatened of invasions from the Ottomans and Mongols, the Crusades, the Black Death, and many forms of internal conflict such as the Hundred Years’ War between England and France and the Inquisition. With this in mind, it may be difficult to imagine why the Europeans have become so powerful. However, the Europeans have eventually been able to dominate the world because of three desires: finding an all water route to Asia, accumulating wealth, and converting people to become Christians.

The principle justification offered by the Europeans for their colonization of Asia & Africa was the moral and technological superiority of the western world. As the Europeans saw it, the spread of the European way of life would substantially increase living standards for the colonized. While economic reasons were obviously the primary impetus for colonial expansion, the Europeans believed that they were not only improving the natives’ conditions, but they were saving their mortal souls by bringing Christianity to them. Over time, the technologically advanced way of life came to be associated with Europe, and with Europeans. This is the cause of the racist and social Darwinist undertones in the documents.