Effects of European Colonization of the Americas - Essay Example

Positive and Negative Effects of European Colonization of the Americas on Europe Teacher               Positive and Negative Effects of European Colonization of the Americas on Europe European colonization of Americas began with in the 15th century and was triggered by events that occurred in Europe before that time. First, the invention of new technologies such as the sternpost rudder, lateen sails, magnetic compass, astrolabe and sextant encouraged navigation to greater distances. Second, Renaissance thinking gave rise to the feelings of curiosity among the European nobles and intellectuals and thus instilled in them a sense of adventure and competitiveness. Thirdly, the stories that Marco Polo brought from China inspired Europe to gain access to luxury goods such as metals, spices, fruit, jewels, silk and precious metals. Besides, European merchants have grown tired of Middle East as their middlemen, and so decided to increase their own profits by acquiring their goods by themselves. Lastly, the rise of nation-states in Europe encouraged economic rivalry and competition in terms of wealth and territories. All these reasons made the European countries of Portugal, Spain, England, France and the Netherlands colonize the Americas. Nevertheless, despite the positive effects of the colonization of the Americas in terms of wealth, the negative effects that contributed to the downfall of the colonizers cannot be emphasized too heavily (European Exploration, n.d.). The European colonization of Americas led to the overall increase in the wealth of the colonizers. Because of this, Europe became “extremely rich and powerful” (European Exploration, n.d.). Portugal, which conquered Brazil in 1500, enslaved the natives and extracted much wealth from large plantations known as fazendas. This also led to the introduction of new crops to Europe from Brazil: coffee, corn, sugarcane (Impact of European, 2012). This must have created huge revenue for Portugal. The Spanish did the same since 1492 when Italian Christopher Columbus was sponsored by the Spanish government on an expedition. However, it was the conquest of Mexico through Hernan Cortes in 1519 and the invasion of Incan Peru in the 1520s under Francisco Pizzaro that gave Spain “unbelievable profit” from the gold, silver, and land that they were able to acquire. The invasion finally paved the way for the establishment of the Spanish government in South American countries, where the feudal encomienda system operates in order for the natives to harvest the land and give the dues to the Spanish landowner (Impact of European, 2012). The Dutch, who colonized Manhattan through the purchase of the land from the Canarsee tribe, also benefited so much from New York despite their relatively short stay in the state until the English drove them away (Impact of European, 2012). The West India Company established by the Dutch was a source of constant wealth for the Dutch nobles including the peg-legged governor of the Dutch, Peter Stuyvesant (The Struggle for Empire, 2012). Moreover, England, which established their colonies in the area that was to be known as the United States, made its first settlement on Roanoke Island under the command of Sir Walter Raleigh and from the decision of Queen Elizabeth I, and from there enforced strict laws that made them profit from the products of the huge plantations (The Struggle for Empire, 2012). The Puritans followed but made a separate settlement in Plymouth, where they established the English Church and a colony, but their intention was mostly religious (Impact of European, 2012). Nevertheless, the British territory expanded by 1613 to include Barbados, St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, Antigua and the Bahamas, and this made the colonizers prosperous (Beginnings of North European, 1999). The last among the European colonizers, France, conquered Canada and later the entire inland of North America known as Louisiana, and established a near-feudal system where large and wealthy landowners benefited much from the slavery (Impact of European, 2012; The Struggle for Empire, 2012). Moreover, the French also took hold of New France near the upper Mississippi River, where they also established the same feudal system to extract wealth from the natives and slaves (The Struggle for Empire, 2012). Aside from the wealth, through colonization, the European colonizers were also able to establish control over the colonies and thus forced open markets that further increased their wealth and realm of governance (European Exploration, n.d.). In short, the positive effects of the European colonization of the Americas was all about wealth production and increase of territory, and this definitely strengthened and enriched Europe especially the colonizers. There were, however, negative effects that ensued from the colonization and thus gradually weakened the European colonizers. One of the negative effects was the increasing resistance of the conquered natives and slaves against their conquerors. The increasing resistance began with the greed, prejudice, slavery, and religious intolerance practiced by the colonizers and imposed upon the natives and the slaves. Furthermore, in all he colonies, mercantilism was practiced, which means that the colonies must buy goods and products only from the mother country and must ship the products only through the mother country’s ships. The colonies do not also have the freedom to buy from other countries other than their mother country, plus there were numerous taxes imposed upon the products, thus causing “resentment” and perhaps eventually leading to opposition and war (European Exploration, n.d.). Specifically, in France, the numerous fierce attacks of the Caribs limited the economic development and the French colonization of the Latin American states (Beginnings of North European, 1999). The events that ensued from this must have further weakened the European colonizers in such a way that they had to spend so much in skirmishes and battles against the natives and the slaves. Although this was only among the many factors that contributed to the eventual bankruptcy of the European colonizers, the major effect that the resentment brought with it was the desire for national independence, which was eventually carried out in the colonies as the conquerors weakened. Aside from the opposition of the natives and slaves, another factor that finally weakened the European colonizers was the internal conflicts in these countries that eventually led either to the government’s bankruptcy or to the neglect of international affairs in the Americas. In Spain, Philip II’s Spanish Armada failed in its mission to subdue Queen Elizabeth I’s England, and this defeat led to a series of events that eventually made Spain bankrupt and unable to finance some of its activities in the Americas (The Struggle for Empire, 2012). In France, it is their civil wars that plunged the country into division and chaos and made the government neglect the country’s affairs in the Americas. The problem with France was that whatever the absolute monarch King Louis XIV willed was done and what he did not mention was left undone, and, since the king failed to address certain issues concerning international affairs, this eventually led to the weakening of the French governance in Canada and America (The Struggle for Empire, 2012). The Dutch had the same problem but it was more on greed. The West India Company under Peter Stuyvesant, who was known as a “petty tyrant,” eventually went bankrupt because of the numerous unsuccessful attempts it made to conquer Brazil. This eventually weakened the Dutch colonizers until they were driven out from America by England (The Struggle for Empire, 2012). England’s eventual weakening as a colonizer of the Americas began in the great Anglo-French colonial war in the United States, which was a war between the British and French colonies. The Anglo-French colonial war eventually left both France and England in severe debt. Since from this time on England became suspicious of France’s motives as well as all of England’s other European neighbors, the British monarchy handled all of its affairs without any help from any other European country. This move towards economic independence worsened England’s debts, thus making the monarchy impose a stricter administration and higher taxes on the colonies. This therefore eventually led to popular unrest and revolutions, one of which was the American War of Independence in 1776 (Guisepi, 1999). The weakening of the European colonizers was therefore the stimulus that the colonies needed in order to proclaim their own independence. The European colonization of the Americas brought with it both positive effects that enriched America, such as the acquisition of wealth and land, and the expansion of trade and economic dominion. On the other hand, the negative effects that the colonization brought were the factors that led to the weakening of the colonizing powers. Among these negative effects were the increasing resistance of the natives and slaves, and the extreme competitiveness of the colonizers that made them engage in expensive wars that left them bankrupt and weak. References Beginnings of North European Expansion. (1999). Retrieved June 6, 2012 from the International World History Project: http://www.history-world.org/beginnings_of_north_european_exp.htm. European Exploration. (n.d.). Retrieved June 6, 2012 from AP World History: http://mrfarshtey.net/whnotes/European_Colonization.pdf. Guisepi, R. (1999). The American Revolution. Retrieved June 7, 2012 from the International World History Project: http://www.history-world.org/american_revolution.htm. Impact of European Exploration And Colonization on Europe. (2012). Retrieved June 6, 2012 from Scribd: http://www.scribd.com/doc/6046459/European-Colonization-Essay. The Struggle for Empire – Europe Discovers the New World. (2012). Retrieved June 6, 2012 from Net Industries: http://www.libraryindex.com/history/pages/cmxyrctkic/struggle-empire-europe-discovers-world.html. Read More