The First Voyager and the American Conquest - Essay Example

The diary is about the first voyager, the contingent of Christopher Columbus.

The voyager contained many individuals sent by the queen. The sailors saw the far land in different intervals and there existed arguments on what the land was, Columbus sighted light and waited to affirm his observation before sharing it with Gutierrez.  The observations by the explorers when reaching the island were a unique presence of the locals. They worked around naked and were friendly and generous. Columbus directed the other contingent to head north-northwest to explore and find out more about the people living there.

Analysis

It is clear on what guided the explorers. Columbus focused less on the gifts they received from the locals but was aiming on the gold ornaments owned by the locals. This is an indication of what drove the explorers towards the island. The factors that led to the exploration were the search for treasure and raw materials. Columbus observes and finds out the origin of the ornaments. He intended to identify whether it was obtained through trade or it was acquired locally. He was designing a positive feedback to send to the palace on their way home. The first explorers were tasked with observing and identifying opportunities on the land. The positive result prompted many settlers to contemplate living in their home country and settling in the East. The other positive about the island was the richness of agricultural products, evident in the tools traded by the indigenous people. Factors that facility the successful operation were the friendly nature of the locals. The reason behind the collaborative nature of the indigenous people was their view of foreigners. They perceived them to be from the heavens and treated them like demigods. This gave the explorer a chance to study the landscape and explore opportunities that the land would offer in return. The result was positive feedback to the queen who encouraged more settlers to head to the island.

The peaceful nature of the locals mainly the Indians was converted into years of liberation struggle. The diary provides an insight into how Columbus was able to convince more white settlers to the new land. This can be connected to the royal proclamation of 1763 where King George III declared the lands to be part of British North America. This came at a cost of battles with the French who had conquered some parts of America. The struggle and rush to North America were attributed to the Columbus diary. The exploration changed the way of life in the region. Many locals were converted to Christianity. The diary clearly states one's priority while attaining a given goal in life. It can be related to the drive reduction theory, which explains factors that motivate an individual to achieve personal goals. The nature of the land motivated more British settlers to explore and settle in North America.