History Essay Sample: The Early Explorers of America

In my opinion, the early explorers travelled in many parts of the world as voyagers and missionary men. They were persons from different origins which include Italy and other parts of Europe. In particular, I believe that their largest mission was to acquire new trade partners and colonies. For instance, Christopher Columbus was instrumental in exploring the sail route a shorter route from Europe to Asia. Additionally, he was interested in the spreading his religion. To a large extent, I consider the book Norton Anthology American Literature and other North American scholarly literature as the main sources of information concerning early explorers.

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The most interest piece is the narration about Christopher Columbus (Vol. A, pp. 34-38). This story documents the process through which the churches disintegrated under the reign of King Henry VIII. Moreover, he played a critical role of discovering North America on his journey to Asia. Importantly, this story is interesting as it informs the reader on how new trading patterns and routes were established. Conversely, Bartolome de la casas played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Catholic religion. The most fascinating aspect about this selection regards Bartolomes support for human rights. Although, I do not agree on his religious inclinations and attitudes, I believe that his theoretical foundations and love for humanity are some of the most important pillars of life today. In a similar fashion with Chistopher Columbus, Alvar nunez de vacas story illustrates his strength and zeal to establish trade routes. It is interesting to learn that he was a peace maker and a person who possessed outstanding leadership skills. In fact, he contributed to the growth of North America by ensuring that Rio de la Plata colony operated peacefully.

Yes. Reading these selections has changed the way I view the early explorers. Prior studying the chapters, I thought that they were only interested in establishing colonies and acquiring gold and silver through trade. However, their emphasis on respect to human rights and leadership qualities has changed my perspective about early explorers. In fact, it appears that the world today is seeking to achieve such kind of leaders in the wake of heightened immigration issues. I think that both developed and developing nations should learn from them on effective management of resources.

Certainly, the Europeans viewed the new world as an important distribution point for the booming spice trade. Therefore, the primary goal was to improve their economic status. Moreover, the Europeans thought that the New World was a ripe field for conversion into Catholicism. Furthermore, the Native Indians were seen as readily available labor force that would cultivate European farms. I believe that the Europeans should have sent a small number of settlers first instead of moving in a large number during the first years. This is because they would have taken time to study the area and invent strategies to prevent them from diseases.

Columbus letter illustrates the importance of letters during the time of discovery because of two major ways. First, he exaggerated the information concerning the size of the land by indicating that the Mainland China lay nearby. Second, he gave a detailed description about the Native Arawaks and argued that they were amenable and docile; therefore, there were prospects that they could convert to Christianity. It appears that the letter appealed mostly the upper class individuals, the royal officials, overseas merchants, and church lawyers. Christopher Columbus wrote the letter to Ferdinand and Isabella in 1503 to complain that he was not treated fairly after opening the Central and South America to the Spanish. In particular, he requested a restitution of honor because the monarchs had failed to recognize his achievements. In the fourth letter, Christopher used a cynical tone. However, he used a more energetic tone in the first one. To a large extent, the letter comments positively about exploration at that time.

Clearly, de las Casas and Cabeza de Vaca use a sympathetic tone in their letters. The authors indicate that the people do not have strong cultural affiliations, thus, can be colonized easily. Both explorers assert that the people are calm and that they do not have defined laws or religion. Yes. I think so because Cabeza de Vaca recognizes the importance of taking of their children and women. The arrival of the Europeans disrupted the normal lives of the Natives. Firstly, they subjected them to torture and slavery. Secondly, they influenced them to convert to Christianity. Apart from the negative impacts, the Europeans contributed in the growth of the economic activities in the area.