Why Were The Europeans Able To Be 'Native Americans Or Conquerors'?

“The discovery of America, and that of the passage to the East Indies by the Cape of Good
Hope, are the two greatest events recorded in the history of [human] kind” —Adam Smith, in
The Wealth of Nations When it comes to the Europeans conquering the Americas, Professor Jared Diamond, of
UCLA, has come up with the theory that what separated the winners from the losers, was not luck, strength, or numbers, but the lay of the land. It was the geographic locations where the diverse cultures chose to stay that determined their ability to grow, and flourish, or be left behind in terms of welfare. So, why exactly were the Europeans able to conquer the America’s, and why is it that they are said to be “accidental conquerors”? To start, at that time, the America’s were settled largely by Native Americans of course,
including but not limited to the Inca Empire, the Aztecs, and the Mayans.
When the Europeans first started their conquests in South America, they were met by these very different cultures, who probably had no idea what to think of these white men. These native people did not have a unified name for themselves. As a result, the Europeans called them “Indians”, which was a term that came from Christopher Columbus’s idea that he had found a new passage to India. The
Europeans had several opinions of the Natives. For one, they found that the Indians were receptive, gentle, and eager to trade. But at the same time, some of the Natives were said to be less than receptive, or peaceful. This may be in part to how the Europeans treated them. Often the Europeans would peacefully introduce themselves to the Natives, to only take them captive, take their belongings, or kill days later. These interactions alone show that the Europeans were very dominant over the Indians. One of the main reasons the Europeans enjoyed so much success in their conquests was
their main mode of transport; quick, and strong horses. The Native Americans most likely marveled at the horses, thinking they were some mythical beast. Aside from fearing them, we can be sure that they realized how helpful they were. When traveling the desolate terrains in South America, the
Europeans could ride their horses in order to preserve time, and stamina. The horses also undoubtedly served a significant role in fighting; allowing the rider a certain upper hand in combat. Another thing the European Conquistadors introduced to the new world was their main fighting tool: swords. The swords that the Conquistadors used were crafted with steel; a strong mixture of iron and carbon. When outfitted with a sword, the men could take on numerous
Indians in combat, typically killing them within a matter of seconds. Now you may think that horses, or the European fighting technologies were the key elements when it came to the Europeans’ dominance. And if so, you are wrong. It was not their steel swords, or combat techniques that aided them so much in their capture of the Americas, it was disease. Namely, smallpox. Over a prolonged period of time, the men from Europe had built an immunity to the disease, but that didn’t hinder them from accidentally transporting it to the natives. The deadly disease spread throughout the Inca Empire so quickly, that they did not know how to stop it. As you would imagine, thousands of them were killed. This of course had a massive impact on how the Conquistadors took over the new world.