In History, the use of the word “discovered” is common where historical voyages and other missionary travels were conducted across the globe in order to broaden the horizons. Any new land, item or product that was previously unknown was termed as a discovery and its resources or use exploited to better the economy of the Discovering nation. For most, the discovery of Africa changed the direction of the world with the presence of unsurmountable resources in the Continent. In this same light, America was a discovery made by the Europeans in the Early 1500s. It is from this discovery that the great nation as we know it begun its slow development into what it is currently. America’s discovery was seen as one of the greatest game changers for trade, colonization and expansion of Western Euopean powers of that time. The paper below tells the history of the Discovery of America and the benefits of said discovery to the American.
The discovery of the Americans was a major historical change for the whole world, from the Europeans; as it led to the challenging of the traditional European ideas, to the Asians. Americans were an unexpected find and thus brought on new ideas that could be adopted by the Europeans. John Cabot in his Transatlantic Voyage had sailed in to the Newfoundland and Labrador waters where he observed the sea was teeming with Codfish. On his voyage back to King Henry VII, he took with him the fish which led to the recognition of its value by the King. Word spread of this new discovery and hence European Nations started visiting Newfoundland and Labrador’s Waters to exploit its resources. In the Early 1492. The Portuguese and French begun crossing the Atlantic annually to fish for the summer later. England and Spain also joined.
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The demand for Saltfish had increased as it was an inexpensive source of protein, It had a long shelf life and was easily transported due to its very light weight. It could also be stored for use in the winter when meat was scarce. These qualities of the fish made them very convenient for overseas voyages, armies on the march, and a growing urban population. The Europeans encouraged the growth of new fisheries for this purpose. This helped the European Economy by creating jobs for workers either directly or indirectly. The discovery of the America’s was in itself responsible for Europe’s growth in the 1500s due to the discovery of saltfish (Goldstone, 2009).
Although there were many explorers who had traversed America in early history, Christopher Columbus was credited with the discovery. This is because he had written records of the directions and other important details regarding the land he had discovered. He also sent back letters to Europe. Other seafaring explorers had not recorded any written language or a particular history of the same, hence the advantage Christopher Columbus had over them. During this period, America was mainly inhabited by Native Americans, or Indians.
The Native Americans prior to the 1500s had lived on the land for atleast 11,000 years (Caddi, n.d.). They lived divided according to tribes, customs and beliefs. They had lived and adapted the land according to their way of life. During this era, there was not much of technological advancement. Some tribes, for instance the Caddo, were well known for their trading practices. They had established complex political systems, had extremely advanced agricultural practices and were held very organized spiritual rituals and ceremonies. The Native Americans kept their resources in local storehouses (Caddi, n.d.). They had trained warriors and participated in trade among inter-tribes. By the time the Europeans arrived, it was the trading practices they held that attracted them to the land.
In addition to this, the Native Americans did not believe in the concept o owning land. To them, land was a resource to be used and hence, anyone who lived on the land had the freedom to utilize it as they saw fit (Onion & Onion, 2016). To till the land in order to gather crops. After a few years, they would move on from the land in order to allow it to regenerate its nutrients and become wild as it once was.
The discovery of the America’s allowed Europeans to increase their trade items. Prior to this, they were only able to trade with the Asians by providing them with gold, ivory and furs they acquired from Africa. They however, had very other few items of trade against the very costly spices and silks acquired from the Asians, and thus the discovery of America’s who kept silver and gold in their storehouses (Goldstone, 2009). The Europeans thus had to find a way through which they could separate these riches from the Native Americans.
The first Europeans who settled in America were welcomed. They were very few in number and thus posed no threat to the Natives of the land. The natives offered to teach the Europeans how to till and work on the land to get crops. They continued to live in harmony. However, the population of the Europeans continued to grow as time went by. In addition, conflict had started rising between the Natives and Europeans due to the tendency of the Europeans to want to keep the land.
The Europeans begun to fight the local tribes for the land and resources. They conquered the Native Americans through continued wars and disputes. In addition, the Europeans spread diseases and started capturing slaves. Through these three factors, the Europeans took control of the wealth of the Americas in order to better trade with India and China. Two lands that seemed to be richer in every way (Goldstone, 2009). The fields of India and China were more fertile and Productive and their technology was far much more superior to that which was in Europe.
The story of the Native Americans in the Early 1500s, served as the commencement of the History of America and how it aided in the evolution of trade between itself and other nations.
References
Goldstone, J. A. (2009). Why Europe?: The Rise of the West in World History, 1500-1850 (1st Edition). The McGraw-Hill Companies.
Onion, R., & Onion, R. (2016, January 18). America’s Other Original Sin. Slate . Retrieved from http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/cover_story/2016/01/native_american_slavery_historians_uncover_a_chilling_chapter_in_u_s_history.html
Caddi, N. (n.d.). The Native American Story | Texas State History Museum. Retrieved August 5, 2017, from https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/campfire-stories/native-americans
