In the 15 th century, a significant number of Europeans sailed in a bid to exploring new routes, and opportunities as a way of expanding their trade and exploration capacities, which has come to be described as the Voyages of Exploration or the Age of Exploration (Pavlac, 2011). Additionally, the Europeans intended to spread, as well as gain knowledge while seeking to transform the lives of those that they encountered in their explorations (Pavlac, 2011). However, one of the critical questions that have been raised concerning these voyages is whether their outcomes brought out more opportunities or whether this only translated to more drawbacks for the society as part of the Early Modern Era. That is a question that this report seeks to explore as part of determining the effects of the voyages.
In seeking to answer the question, one must note that the answer is divided depending on the perspective to view these voyages. Pavlac (2011) indicates that the response from the Europeans would be seen as being much more favourable, as the excursions provided the Europeans countries with a platform for the exploration of new lands allowing them to tap into the global commodity network. ďe las Casas (1992), on the other hand, explores the fact that the voyages only brought about severe destruction of different societies, especially in cases where Europeans were able to encounter natives within specific lands that they explored. That seeks to show the extent to which the question brings division; thus, creating a challenge in trying to find a defined answer. In my view, I believed that explorations brought out more harm than good.
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In the evaluation of the destruction of the Indies, ďe las Casas (1992) takes note of the fact that for the indigenous inhabitants of the Americas the voyages brought more harm than good attributed to a wide array of factors. The inhabitants were exposed to brutality by the European colonizers, which had a wide range of adverse effects on the indigenous society. On the other hand, the indigenous inhabitants also found themselves being exposed to ravages of European diseases (Pavlac, 2011). These diseases affected a significant number of the indigenous people cutting through the populations, significantly leading to a high number of deaths.
The harm associated with the Voyages of Exploration can also be seen from the fact that the period saw a large-scale involvement in the slave trade by the Europeans. Pavlac (2011) indicates that Europeans were able to engage in the slave trade as part of their exploration of Africa, leading to a significant number of Africans being transported back to the Americas. ďe las Casas (1992) also takes note of the fact that the engagement of Europeans in Africa also paved the way for brutality resulting in more than fifteen million persons being slain under the pretext of Christianity. Based on this position, it is clear that indeed, the voyages may have brought out more harm than the potential benefits that were expected.
From the analysis of the voyages, it is clear that although they presented a wide array of exploration opportunities to allow for increased trading activities for the Europeans, it is equally important to consider that they also drew a wide variety of drawbacks (ďe las Casas, 1992). From a personal perspective, I tend to believe that the adverse effects associated with the voyages far outweigh the potential benefits. That is a position that can be supported by the brutality that the Europeans melted upon the natives in lands that they sought to explore.
References
ďe las Casas, B. (1992). The Devastation of the Indies: A Brief Account . Johns Hopkins University Press.
Pavlac, B. A. (2011). A Concise Survey of Western Civilization: Prehistory to 1500 Volume 1: Supremacies and Diversities Throughout History . Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
