The Concept of Voyages and the Impact of Columbus’ Second Voyage on the Caribbean
Introduction
Historically, when speaking of voyages, emphasis is not placed on the term per se; rather, most historians denote the period depicting the age of discovery. Therefore, in a nut shell, voyages existed within this period of discovery, and were conducted for several reasons. History does not provide the exact date as to when this age begun. However, a consensus on the matter affords that the age of exploration, or discovery lasted from between 1418 to 1620 (Teachers Curriculum Institute, n.d). Nevertheless, there are those schools of thought that hold the belief that it could have lasted from about 1450 to 1550. Either way, a middle-of-the-road time frame suggests that the period between the 15th …show more content…
By the 1400’s Europeans had been exposed to goods from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, thereby increasing demand for trade. However, Europe’s geographical position was at the extreme end of the trade routes, making trade costly because of middlemen. Therefore, the voyages of explorers such as Vasco da Gama sought to determine alternative trade routes to the Indian Ocean trade.
The Political Factor The key concept of theory that characterizes the political motivation for voyages in the age of exploration is the manifest destiny principle. The University of Groningen (2012), mentions that this concept encompasses the benign and imperialistic policy of dominion and expansion. In essence, and according to Canterbury (2009), this concept that God not only gave Europeans the right to explore the world, but also to colonize and settle in whatever part of the world. As such, European voyagers saw an opportunity to extend their political domain and establish colonies such as those found in the Americas.
Columbus’ Second
Introduction
Historically, when speaking of voyages, emphasis is not placed on the term per se; rather, most historians denote the period depicting the age of discovery. Therefore, in a nut shell, voyages existed within this period of discovery, and were conducted for several reasons. History does not provide the exact date as to when this age begun. However, a consensus on the matter affords that the age of exploration, or discovery lasted from between 1418 to 1620 (Teachers Curriculum Institute, n.d). Nevertheless, there are those schools of thought that hold the belief that it could have lasted from about 1450 to 1550. Either way, a middle-of-the-road time frame suggests that the period between the 15th …show more content…
By the 1400’s Europeans had been exposed to goods from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, thereby increasing demand for trade. However, Europe’s geographical position was at the extreme end of the trade routes, making trade costly because of middlemen. Therefore, the voyages of explorers such as Vasco da Gama sought to determine alternative trade routes to the Indian Ocean trade.
The Political Factor The key concept of theory that characterizes the political motivation for voyages in the age of exploration is the manifest destiny principle. The University of Groningen (2012), mentions that this concept encompasses the benign and imperialistic policy of dominion and expansion. In essence, and according to Canterbury (2009), this concept that God not only gave Europeans the right to explore the world, but also to colonize and settle in whatever part of the world. As such, European voyagers saw an opportunity to extend their political domain and establish colonies such as those found in the Americas.
Columbus’ Second