Argument - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... They were able to do so because of their advance military and naval technology compared with the natives’. The natives didn’t have exposure to the viral or bacterial diseases the Spanish had with them this led to their dead in large numbers. The locals who resisted their rule were captured and sold as slaves in plantations (Todorov 30).
The main reason for European invasion of Africa in the fifteenth to seventeenth century was trade and specifically human trade. By this time most of Africa’s traditional institutions were unaffected. Trade between the European and Africans led to the development of towns in the coastal regions. The Africans were also introduced to commodities like salt, weapons and clothes. The Dutch were the first to establish permanent colonies around1652 in South Africa. Later in the nineteenth century, European explorers discovered that Africa contained exploitable resources like gold, silver, iron and was fertile for agricultural production. This led to the Scramble of Africa.
There was exchange of ideas, values and practices as a result of trade and colonisation. Missionaries had an important role to play in the integration of European culture into Africa and Americas. The colonisation of Africa and Americas led to the introduction of Christianity to these societies. The people were forced to abandon their cultural practices since they were considered primitive. There was the introduction of formal education. The natives were taught the languages of their colonial master, arithmetic and science (Cowen 145).
The political systems of the Americas and African communities were disregarded. The Europeans also made boundaries that divided communities and even families. The natives were forced to accept the rule of their conquerors and pay taxes which were usually oppressive.
The other consequence of European conquest was ecological destruction of the Indies and Africa. The settlers cut down the ...Download file to see next pagesRead More