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The European Colonial Period in the Americas (redirected from Effects of the European Colonial Period in the Americas)

Page history last edited by Mark Haggan 3 years ago Saved with comment

The conquest of TenochtitlanThe conquest of Tenochtitlan

 


Topics on the Page

 
Overview of European Colonization in South America

 

 

Colonialism
 

Military Tactics
 

Disease and Death
 

Racial Caste System

 

  • Hernando Cortes

 

Indigenous Religions and Christianity

 

Slavery in South America

 

  • Mahommah Gardo Baquaqua

 

Dramatic Event page on Origins of the Atlantic Slave Trade

 

    • The Trail of Christopher Columbus

 

    • Slave Revolt in Jamaica (1760-1761)

 

    • Malê Revolt (1835)

 

 

Focus Question: What were the major economic, political, and social effects of the European colonial period in South America?

 

Overview

 

Bartolome de Las Casas

Bartolome de Las Casas

 



Brief overview of Early Latin America from the International World History Project.

The Treasure That Sank the Spanish Empire discusses the 2013 locating of a shipwreck in the Gulf of Mexico where a fleet of 28 Spanish ships were hit by a hurricane on September 5, 1622.

 

  • The loss of the gold, silver and other items destroyed the Bank of Madrid and contributed to the collapse of Spain's empire. This article includes pictures of the lost treasures.

 

 

  Watch this video for an overview of the Native Americans in South America and the Spaniards that conquered them

See also:

 

 

Political Map of the Americas, 1794

Image to the right is a Political Map of the Americas, 1794

 

Colonialism


Definition:

 
1. the control or governing influence of a nation over a dependent country, territory, or people.
2. the system or policy by which a nation maintains or advocates such control or influence.

Colonialism is about the dominance of a strong nation over another weaker nation. It happens when a strong nation sees that its material interest and affluence require that it expand outside its borders. Colonialism is the acquisition of the colonialist, by brute force, of extra markets, extra resources of raw material and manpower from the colonies.

Colonization is justified under 5 rationales:

 
1. The colonized are savages in need of education and rehabilitation
2. The culture of the colonized is not up to the standards of the colonizer, and it’s the moral duty of the colonizer to do something about fixing it.
3. The colonized nation is unable to manage and run itself properly, and thus it needs the wisdom and expertise of the colonizer.
4. The colonized nation embraces a set of religious beliefs incompatible with those of the colonizer, and consequently, it is God’s given duty of the colonizer to bring those stray people to the right path.
5. The colonized people pose dangerous threat to themselves and to the civilized world if left alone; and thus it is in the interest of the civilized world to bring those people under control.

The early Spanish explorers justified their actions by a three word slogan, God, Glory, and Gold.

Click here for an article from Slate about how France and England influenced Spanish colonization, as well as more information about Spanish colonization.

 


Video from Khan Academy discussing Spanish colonization

 

This Youtube video charts European colonialism as it spread throughout the globe.

 

Military Tactics

 

The very size and sophistication of the Aztec and Inca empires worked against them during the European conquests.

 

  • Their strict social and political hierarchies, and their dedication to a certain way of war made them easier targets.

 

  • The ancient military tradition of their armies, which numbered in the tens of thousands, emphasized one-on-one engagements on the front lines in open, level areas.

 

  • The bulk of each army remained out of action, acting instead as support forces for the actual fighters as they waited for their turn at the battlefront. The armies made little use of battlefield tactics or ambushes.

 

  • Further, the primary goal of the combatants was to disable their opponents and take them captive, rather than to slay them. Also, the armies operated under the strict authority of their commanders.

 

  • They did not use graduated levels of command. If the commander was killed or captured, his army considered itself defeated and withdrew from the battle.

 

This source explains the different tactics used by both the Spanish and Aztecs

Disease and Death
external image FlorentineCodex_BK12_F54_smallpox.jpg
The Spanish encounter ultimately destroyed the empires of the Aztec, Maya, and Inca, in part due to the influences of disease.

 

  • European diseases such as smallpox, influenza, measles and typhus, to which the native populations had no resistance, and systems of forced labor decimated the native population.

 

  • The diseases themselves usually preceded the Spanish invaders, and the resulting population loss severely weakened the native civilizations' ability to resist the invaders. Sometimes, this loss was upwards of 90%.

 

  • They introduced epidemic diseases such as influenza, smallpox, measles, and typhus.

 

  • These foreign diseases were catastrophic for the native peoples, who had no natural resistance to them.
    • Within 50 years the diseases had decimated the indigenous populations of the large Caribbean islands.


For an overview of Conquistadors, click this link: Conquistadors from PBS.


South American Society and a Racial Caste System

European colonialism created a caste system in South America. This system allowed for the control over the other groups and the dictation of what occurred in South America during European colonialism.

 

  • Peninsulars who were native born Spaniards at the top of the colonial society. Peninsulars held the highest positions in the government and church that were unavailable to those below them in the caste system.

 

  • The Creoles made up the next rung of the social ladder. Creoles were individuals born in Spanish America that Spanish ancestors and had the same rights as Peninsulars but could not hold the some high offices and were treated as second class citizens.

 

  • Next in the hierarchy of society were Mestizo who had a combination of Spanish and Indian heritage.

 

  • Then came Mulattoes who were of mixed Spanish and African blood. Amerindians came next who were American Indians.

 

  • Then Zambo who were of African and Amerindian descent and then Africans. This society saw the power in the hands of those that were born in Spain or had entirely Spanish heritage.


This short video introduces the social order of Spanish America


Spanish speaking colonies were not the only dominating presence in the region. Portugal considered Brazil one of her prize colonies, and instituted harsh practices of slavery to keep up with commercial demands back home and abroad. Brazil was one of the last places in the Americas to abolish slavery, which it did in 1888. As such, photography reveals the harsh realities and intricate details of a society predicated on slavery. Click here for more details.


external image GW264H210Social pyramid of South American Society.


external image Red_apple.jpgHere is a powerpoint about the Latin American caste system.

Painting of Cortés
Painting of Cortés


Hernan Cortés: from Second Letter to Charles V, 1520 Account by Cortes the leader of the Spanish conquistadors on the Aztec Empire.


Hernando Cortes



Here is a lesson plan on how to teach gender and race for this standard.



Indigenous Religions

 

As farming peoples, Mesoamericans frequently worshiped the forces of nature as gods, including agricultural deities.

 

  • Most of the elaborate rituals and ceremonies conducted by Mesoamerican priests were intended to secure the goodwill and support of these gods. Among some groups. human sacrifice was used to appease the gods. 

 

  • Rulers were seen as religious leaders who served as intermediaries between humans and the gods, or spiritual forces. As a result, the civil and religious aspects of life in Mesoamerica were often inseparable.


The complex religion of the Maya included belief in a supreme god, called Hunab Ku.

 

  • This deity was seen as too remote from humans to have any effect on their daily activities. His son, a sky deity called Itzamna, was believed to be the god who gave humans food, medicine, and the art of writing. 

 

  • Numerous other deities—including the gods of rain, maize, war, medicine, wind, death, Moon, and Sun—were thought to control the specific affairs of humans.

 

  • These deities all had a dual aspect: they could bring good things to humans, such as rain, a plentiful harvest, or peace, but they could also bring harm, such as drought, famine, or war. Many rituals and ceremonies performed by the Maya, including human sacrifices, were intended to secure favorable treatment from these gods.

 

Depiction of Quetzalcoatl, 16th century
Depiction of Quetzalcoatl, 16th century


Among the people of Teotihuacán, religious ceremonies included sacrifices of birds, flowers, dogs, and sometimes humans, to feed hungry gods and keep them strong.

 

  • Doing so was necessary, they believed, to continue life and keep the world in harmony. 

 

  • A principal deity was Quetzalcoatl, also known as the Plumed, or Feathered, Serpent, a beneficial god who was frequently locked in combat with evil gods.


The Aztec worshiped a pantheon of gods, including more than 60 major deities and numerous lesser spirits.

 

  • The ancient deity Quetzalcoatl, among others, was revered, but the principal god was the Aztecs' own, Huitzilopochtli, the god of war and of the Sun.

 

  • The gods were ranked in importance, and each one had its own cult and special hierarchies of priests. Many Aztec ceremonies entailed sacrificing human victims to the gods, whose strength needed perpetual renewal with human blood.

 

  • Sacrificial victims, sometimes large numbers at once, were led up the steps of pyramids to temples on top, where their hearts were cut out and their heads impaled on skull racks; others were flayed, and their skins were worn by priests. Victims were usually war captives, although Aztecs themselves sometimes volunteered for important sacrificial rituals.


For an overview of early Latin American religions, click this link: General Essay on the Religions of Latin America.


Christianity

 

Many native subjects were forced to convert to Christianity as well by their Spanish captors. This has resulted in a loss of original native culture and religion. The indigenous peoples quickly adopted Christianity, as they found it compatible with important traditional beliefs. Few priests worked among the native populations, so indigenous communities were able to adapt Christian beliefs and rituals to their local practices. Religious worship and ritual became closely associated with community identity and service. Native Americans incorporated important aspects of Roman Catholicism, such as ritual god-parenthood, religious brotherhoods, and devotion to saints, into their own cultures. Individual towns adopted patron saints and shrines that they promoted through festivals and generally developed forms of Catholicism that could be practiced without a priest’s continued presence. A priest appeared usually once or twice a year, especially during the community’s major festivals. Only then were confessions heard, masses conducted, and marriages and baptisms carried out.

Economically speaking, many tribes were forced to pay tribute and taxes to their Spanish oppressors, resulting in communities stripped of their wealth and forced into poverty.

Also the introduction of European influences led to the creation of mestizo- blending of two cultures, not necessarily racial: could be religious conversions, traditions, culture, etc.

Slavery in South America

 

  • Spanish colonists initially enslaved the local population to work in mines and the fields.

 

  • This, along with disease, caused a significant decline in the native population.

 

  • The colonists turned to African slave labor in the colonies.

 

  • Slavery was a major aspect in the economies of both South America and Europeans.



American Counterpoint: New Approaches to Slavery and Abolition in Brazil

A look inside the only slave rebellion in the Americas that was led by Islamic slaves, teachers, and freedmen against the colonial government of Brazil. The slave trade was abolished in 1851 in Brazil partly as a result from the Malê Revolt.

 

Book Cover of Mahommah Gardo Baquaqua's auto-biography published in 1854 

 

 

 

 

Mahommah Gardo Baquaqua, an escaped slave who was brought to Brazil  in the 1840s.

These are the only known documents about the sale trade by a former Brazilian slave.

 

Here is a podcast with an excerpt.

 

Here is the digitized text. 

 

 


Video on the Atlantic Slave Trade

 

 

The People v. Columbus, a classroom activity asking students to determine who is responsible for the death of millions of Taínos on the island of Hispaniola in the late 15th century.

 

 

Dramatic Event page on Origins of the Atlantic Slave Trade


Slave Revolt in Jamaica (1760-1761)



Works Cited

[4] Spanish colonization of the Americas. (2007, February 13). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:41, February 14, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spanish_colonization_of_the_Americas&oldid=107831730

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