18th Century Research Paper

History 109
October 3, 2012
Contact or Conquest? Development of America During the 15th Through 18th Centuries
While European explorers throughout history had made many contacts throughout their expeditions, the discovery, colonization, and development of territories and culture during the 1400s to 1700s would best be described as conquest. Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, Dutch and Germans came to the New World in search of many different interests, but ultimately the “conquering” of civilizations and communities for the gain of territories, labor and wealth have become a noted theme throughout the early history of the Americas. While Spain and Portugal seemed to take over societies in their quest for riches, many other countries sought new land for religious freedom and a
better future; however, the desire of each of the unwelcomed visitors to the New World seemed to force existing people away, whether by hostilities or disease. Such examples of conquest during the era include attacks by the Spaniards against the Aztecs throughout Mexico in the 1500s, the confrontations between the English and Native Americans throughout North America, and the termination of human rights by explorers, slave traders and slave owners throughout Africa and the New World.
The Spanish began their explorations after the Portuguese; however, their desire to conquer was truly evident in their overthrowing of the Aztecs, a civilization known for their war skills. Although Indians had their own problems with conflicts among their own tribes, they tended take their war prisoners as fellow tribesman to strengthen their presence as a people, and many of the natives had developed a means of promoting peace when possible; however, the Spanish believed in attacking to gain what they wanted, with war being their best means of approach. With the use of their more advanced weaponry, horses, rival tribes and disease, they took over the Aztec empire violently, establishing Mexico City where Tenochtitlan once stood. So vicious was their assault on the Aztec people that an account by Fray Bernardino de Sahagun in 1519 describes raid of the capital and gruesome attacks on the Aztec nation by swords and small pox, as well as the strangling of the Aztec emperor Montezuma, while an artist depiction of the epidemic was depicted in an illustration done by a European Artist in 1585. While they continued their attacks throughout Mexico, other explorers from neighboring countries were seeking new territories, too.
Although Sir Walter Raleigh was aware of the dominance of the Spanish in South America and Mexico, he chose to venture into parts of North America, forming a trend of settlers from Europe to head for the areas to the north, away from Spanish threat. As settlers began to inhabit areas of Virginia belonged to the Indians, the initial exchange was friendly; however, the Indians began to resent their land loss, the Virginia settlers were attacked by the natives, as mentioned in an essay by James H. Merrell about the New World. He describes response from a captured Indian during an exchange with John Smith in 1608: “….that they had heard the strangers ‘were a people come from under the world, to take their world from them. ’” Indians continued to attack, as depicted in an account by Edward Waterhouse in 1622, favoring to retaliate: “….there fell under the bloody and barbarous hands of that perfidious and inhume people, contrary to the laws of God and men, of nature and nations, 347 men, women and children, most by their own weapons…” Years later, the Virginia colony governor, Sir William Berkeley tried to maintain boundries for his people, but was overridden by a disgruntled member of the colony. Recruiting other men to fight with him against the Indians, Nathaniel Bacon declared his grievances, including most of the governor’s favoritism of the Indians over the English colonists through his “Declaration of Nathanial Bacon in the Name of the People of Virginia.” Bacon and his militia went on to attack and kill any Indians or defending Englishman. Bacon eventually died of illness while fleeing Berkeley’s men, who were sent to stop him. But Indians were not the only victims of New World discovery and settlement.
Portuguese explorers had initialized the use of African slave labor, trading goods with African kings human beings, introducing slavery as a means for labor early in the 15th century, and took over the island of Sao Tome, using slaves to cultivate and harvest sugar. As the need for labor grew, African rulers and slave traders decided against selling more slaves, and Europeans choosing to kidnap potential slaves as they saw fit. A Portuguese sailor’s accounts the details of a hostile kidnapping of West African villagers in 1493, beginning with their murder of a village leader, and subsequent capture of villagers for labor.
Although indentured servitude was the basis for needed labor in the 16oos, as time progressed and indentured servants were in short supply, slavery was the next alternative to labor. New rules for the treatment of slaves as property were implemented in Virginia from 1603 – 1705, reducing the status of slaves to property, with no hope of their freedom or the freedom of their children, among the loss of many other basic human rights. The effects of these new laws and the negative treatment of slaves is depicted in the diary of William Byrd, a wealthy landowner who documented is ill-treatment of slaves under is ownership.
In conclusion, it is clear that many civil exchanges occurred among explorers, colonists, and natives, but the violence and hostility that was drawn from the Europeans against the indigenous people in the Americas shows that their intentions were not that of peace and co-occupancy. The Spanish were determined to seize control of the Aztec kingdom for wealth, land and power, using aggression to achieve their goals. The English initially sought new land, but refused to seek their own, staking claim on land that belonged to the Indians, causing an uprising by the natives, and eventual war between the two sides. Slavery became a cruel norm of forcing Africans to perform hard labor duties without choice. One can only conclude that the period of expansion into the Americas can only be one of conquest, not conflict.

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[ 1 ]. Kevin M. Schultz, Hist2, Volume 1 (Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2012), page #11.
[ 2 ]. Schultz, Hist2, page #26.
[ 3 ]. “Fray Bernardino de Sahagun Relates an Aztec Chronicler’s Account of the Spanish Conquest of the Aztecs, 1519,” in Eliza beth Cobbs Hoffman, Edward J. Blum, and Jon Gjerde, eds., Major Problems in American History, Volume 1: To 18 77 (Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2012), page # 8
[ 4 ].
“A European Artist Illustrates a Smallpox Outbreak among Nahua Indians,” in Hoffman, et. al. Major Problems, page #10.
[ 5 ]. Schultz, Hist2, page #29
[ 6 ]. James H. Merrell, “The Indians’ New World,”in Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman, Edward J. Blum, and Jon Gjerde, eds., Major Problems in American History, Volume 1: To 1877 (Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2012), page #16.
[ 7 ]. “Edward Waterhouse, a British Official, Recounts an Indian Attack on Early Virginia Settlement, 1622,” in Hoffman, et. al. Major Problems, page #10.
[ 8 ]. “Nathanial Bacon, Leader of a Rebellion, Recounts the Misdeeds of the Virginia Governor, 1676,” in Hoffman, et. al. Major Problems, page #40.
[ 9 ]. Kevin M. Schultz, Hist2, Volume 1 (Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2012), page #22.
[ 10 ]. “The Portuguese Describe Battles with West Africans, 1448,” in Hoffman, et. al. Major Problems, page #5.
[ 11 ]. “Virginia’s Statutes Illustrate the Declining Status of African American Slaves, 1660-1705,” in Hoffman, et. al. Major Problems, page #5.
[ 12 ]. “Southern Planter William Byrd Describes His Views Toward Learning and His Slaves, 1709 – 1710,” in Hoffman, et. al. Major Problems, page
#5.