History Week 1 Assignment

Type: Essay

Subject:Exploration and Effects on Native Americans 

Subject area: Nursing

Education Level: Masters Program

Length: 1 pages

Referencing style: APA

Preferred English: US English

Spacing Option: Double

School: Chamberlain University

Title: W1 Case Study

Option 1:  Explain what motivated the European world powers to explore the Americas.

There are three main reasons that influenced the exploration of the Americans. one was economic advancement where the European powers were pushed by their desire to lure gold. The trade brought valuables such as spices, silk, and raw materials and minerals. It was also a way to create a market for manufactured products such as cloth, iron products, and guns. It was in their interest to find trade routes with wealthy lands in the east and eliminate Muslim middlemen. Another reason was a religion where the European powers desired to spread Christianity into the Americans and convert the natives as well as establish their religious dominance. 

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Describe the economic effects of exploration based on the Colombian exchange.

The Columbian exchange refers to the trade between Asia, Africa, Americans, and Europe. The trade was inspired by Christopher Columbus who transversed from Europe to America and back and influenced the merchants to find trade routes across the Atlantic. Africa was a source of slaves and raw materials. The slaves worked in the plantations in America to produce raw materials which were then traded to Europe (Jordan, 2016). The Columbian exchange enhanced trade between the continents. The European powers exploited Africa and the Americans for economic advancement. The slave trade intensified in efforts to offer free labor to work in the plantations and produce raw materials for the European industries. The trade depleted Africa in labor and resources shipped to Europe and left the continent impoverished. The need for more land for settlers resulted in the killing and displacement of native Americans. The displacement left the community in a bad state where the generations still trying to recover. it was severe exploitation that left the continent economically compromised. 

Analyze the effects of exploration on Native Americans.

The Native Americans were the initial settlers before the coming of the Europeans. They established themselves and started activities like farming, hunting, and trade. The contact with the Europeans affected their lives in different ways. The trade between the Natives and the Europeans led to the acquisition of different products such as clothes, guns, and metal tools. The Europeans introduced new diseases that were strong than the immunity of the natives. The trade led to the spread of the diseases which wiped out a significant population in the villages. 

The exploration brought slavery among the natives. The European powers offered goods to tribesmen who captured their fellow tribesmen and sold them to the white settlers in an effort to gain more power. Slavery led to conflicts and violence among the tribes and the Europeans. The displacement of the communities by force to make the settlers have more land interrupted the native communities and had lasting effects. Although the native population was reduced significantly, the communities survived and still grow. 

Based on research, analyze if Europeans might be held accountable for transmitting Old World diseases to people in the Western Hemisphere.

The trade contact by the Europeans brought different diseases to the native tribes in the western hemisphere. The Europeans were immune to the diseases, unlike the natives. Smallpox, chickenpox, and measles were some of the diseases that wiped out the native population. The Spanish introduced smallpox in Mexico and caused an outbreak that killed many people. The experts believe that close to 90% of the native population was wiped out by the disease. 

References

I, King. Jordan. (2016). The columbian exchange as a source of adaptive introgression in human populations. Biology Direct, 11 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13062-016-0121-x