European colonization of the Americas

miles of unexplored land held untold riches and promised to offer new beginnings for people of all backgrounds seeking to escape religious persecution, poverty and overcrowding in Europe. English colonization in the 16th and 17th centuries opened the door to the world, as it is known today. Colonization not only allowed people to grow, but also allowed ideas, technologies, economies and knowledge to flourish and take new directions never thought possible. Columbus’s return to Europe with the…

In 1942 Christopher Columbus led an expedition to the Americas. His voyage was what started the colonization of the Americas by Europeans for generations to come. These foreigners stripped native Americans of their land, conquered ancient empires, and started settlements in the continents of North and South America. Some may ask, “Why did the Europeans conquer so much of the world and not someone else?” This is a question that has been confusing minds for centuries. Jared Diamond, the author of…

The success in the colonization of the New World depended of many factors. The English were more successful than the Spanish in colonizing the new world because England had more stability than Spain, they had a powerful army and firm government, a better economy system and a goal in mind. The Spanish focused on the “now,” on gold and exploiting the new lands. While the english had a clear plan to create a lasting future for generations to come. Although Spain made a lasting impression…

Expansion and colonization were a major movement for many European countries. From the exploration of the sea to invasion of the land surrounding the borders, much was achieved. However, by taking a look at Willard Sunderland’s Taming the Wild Field and John C. Weaver’s The Great Land Rush it is obvious that not every empire’s approached colonization in the same way. Sunderland explores Imperial Russia while Weaver investigates the British Empire and the settlement of the United States of…

The exploration and colonization boom of the 16th-17th centuries permanently connected Europe and the Americas, a connection that eventually formed the modern “West.” This new global connection not only created positive effects, but it also created a few negative ones as well. The European and American perspectives vastly changed because of this new connection that was created. Before the connection came to be, Europeans believed there were multiple continents, unaware of how big the world truly…

for the taking, and the English took advantage of this opportunity. In 1899, the English first colonized the South African ports and gold mines; this was a very important colony at the time since many of the Africans at the time were not against colonization. The southern tip South Africa, around Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, were also primary destinations for ships to stop between Europe and India; this gave Europe control of trade with India, another English colony. However, Colonialism was…

Colonization has been a big part of human nature, for as long people have been around people been conquering each other. From the Romans to late Europeans the idea of imperialism and colonization were very normal things large countries would do. So when America first went into the kingdom of Hawaii it wasn 't that unheard of. After all the only reason America was founded was because of colonialism. ` When native Hawaiians had their first encounter with Americans, obviously, colonialism was…

Five hundred years have passed since European contact was made with what is now known as America. Colonization quickly followed, creating a New World with distinct cultures, traditions, religion, and politics. However, an economy driven society would prove to be the most influential factor during this settlement. The Industrial Revolution would not only alter human history in America, but would also drastically modify the natural environment as man progressed across the continent and learned to…

from oppressive government. Yet, in The Second Treatise on Civil Government, Locke justifies the colonization and disempowerment of Native Americans and Africans in his discussions of freedom, property and slavery. In The Racial Contract, Charles W. Mills exposes the contradictions in Locke’s political and theoretical thought, particularly his deviation from the law of nature when it came to non-European people of color. According to John Locke the “State of Nature” is a state of complete…

past is that the Europeans took over Africa and made a huge impact on the area in ways that the Africans did not want nor wanted to change. Rules should have been established before asking for help because Africa was controlled by Europeans and the same thing could happen if US colonizes with South America. What happened before should not have been a choice, if the Europeans wanted things from Africans they could have just asked. The United States should not colonize with South America because…