Colonization of a new world
Christopher Columbus' discovery of a new world in 1492 led to a power struggle of enormous proportions throughout Europe over the next three hundred years. The taking of land and the treatment of its native peoples would define this struggle. Each major player in this chess game of colonization would have different means to reach their ultimate goals. The goals and means of these European powers would be have many similarities while at the same time differences that caused great animosity between countries. Columbus sailed for Spain and his arrival in the Caribbean would not only change the people and lands that he came into contact with, but it would change the entire world. Spain began its colonization of Latin America in search of wealth that could bring great power back home to Europe. The Spanish would claim land and control over it and its peoples through ceremony. On Columbus' first journey he claimed islands for his king and queen "with appropriate ceremony and words."1 These ceremonies and words were made official when recorded by the notary and land became official property of the Spanish empire.2 The Spaniards, while in search of wealth, h
Possession could not be claimed over lands ruled by a Christian leader or inhabited by Christian people. The Europeans military power was enormous when compared to that of any of the surrounding Indian nations. Many tribes went along with the heavy trade and conversions to keep the French as an ally. In English law possession constitutes nearly the entire legal claim to ownership. Portugal had also begun playing a large role in trade with the New World. Portugal, France and Spain all thought it highly important to convert the heathens they were to come in contact with in the new world. Queen Isabella of Spain believed that if these people did not know god they were unfit for ruling the land. The English and Spanish continued on successfully. Trigger, "Early Native American Responses to European Contact: Romantic versus Rationalistic Interpretation," Journal of American History, March (1999) 1201 3Other natives believed that the European ships were mobile dwelling places of powerful spirits who they would welcome with sacrifices, food, and entertainment. France believed they could bring these people to a belief in god and a civility that they had never known. "4 1 The Life of the Admiral Christopher Columbus by his Son Ferdinand, trans. Upon his arrival in the city, the Aztec leader, Moctezuma Xocoyotzin, believed Cortes to be the god Quetzalcoatl returning to rule Mexico. They did not see any need to convert the inhabitants of North America. "7 This means simply that if they cannot take land without the shedding of blood then they will do so if need be. "Columbus concluded that the inhabitants of the Bahamas believed that he had come from the sky.
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Acceptance Essays
