Thomas Franco

Miss Burke

Honors History 10

October 17, 2017

Age of Exploration

The Age of Exploration created a sense of global interdependence in the 16th century. A

new industry of travelling was brought to the people. Many people took up this opportunity

because of countless reasons. The ability to increase your countries wealth opened to all the

European nations because of exploration. European society saw lots of potential to gain from

colonizing in the Americas with trade and expansion of land control.

Throughout the colonization period, people began to rely more in the demand of trade.

They did not have access to goods that other regions did, such as silk in China and spices from

the East Indies. This allowed for growth in the spice and slave trade. Spices were used in food

to add flavor, as well as preserve it over periods of time. Medicine was made from spices to cure

illness. These resources were not found in Europe which saw a vast growth and importance in

trade for these spices. The Spanish Empire needed laborers in the New World. The Triangular

Trade helped Spain get the slaves they needed to the New World in exchange they gave weapons

and money to African merchants. The slaves took the Middle Passage to the New World where

they would work on plantations. The crops grown in the New World then returned to Europe for

manufacturing. Ultimately, many countries began to rely on one another to help their economic

state. The increased demand for trade showed a sense of global interdependence among

countries with one another.

 Controlling more land allowed for empires to access more materials and opened the

ability to colonize the region. The land in North America was very suitable for farming, as

Britain set up the 13 colonies on the East Coast. Spain sent Conquistadors to the Caribbean and

Central America in search of gold. Money meant power in this age, so the quest for riches was

super competitive among European nations. Setting up colonies expanded control over new

land, vital for claiming the resources on the property. Many countries also wanted to bring their

religious beliefs and customs to the Native Americans in the New World. Hernando Cortes

brought Christian influences on the New World in hope to convert them. Those they conquered

would follow their religious beliefs. The English and Dutch explorers also brought Christianity

to the Native Americans in the New World. Some people left the Old World to seek freedom

from their home country. Some European powers did not give the people a choice in which

religion they wanted to follow. When England broke off from the Catholic Church under King

Henry VIII, everyone had to belong to the Church of England. Many people did not want to stay

under England’s Church, so many broke off and went to the New World so they would not be

persecuted.

Europe colonization in the New World is very similar to when they colonized Africa at

the end of the 19th century. Christopher Columbus landed in the New World and implemented a

gold quota for the natives. King Leopold II did this same thing with the Congo people when

Belgium colonized the Congo. They both set high demands for gold and if the slaves did not

meet the minimal requirement, they were punished. The Congo had lots of resources countries

wanted after World War I. The New World had lots of resources, making it important to

European powers to trade and get these resources that they did not have. Europeans created a

social hierarchy pyramid in the New World and Africa. In the New World, full-blooded
Spaniards were ranked higher than those who were half-African and half-Native American with

Spanish descent. Those who were full-blooded African or full-blooded Native American were at

the very bottom. Belgium had a presence in Rwanda all the way into the 20th century, causing

tension and political instability among the people. Rwanda had two different ethnic groups, the

Hutus and the Tutsis. The Belgians favored the Tutsis over the Hutus in their social hierarchy.

Once the Belgians gave Rwanda its independence, the Hutu’s started a genocide and killed

800,000 Tutsi’s in the span of 3 months until peace could be made. Spain made a deal with the

natives, saying that if the natives gave labor to the Spanish, the natives would get protection and

education from the Spaniards. This was called the encomienda system, but it never dully lived

up to its purpose because Spain did not stay true to their promise when the natives worked for

them. The UN promised to protect the Tutsi’s from the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). The UN

did what was best for their soldiers when they no longer could restore peace and left. Both left

the people of their native land with no freedom because of their role in the region.

Controlling land and taking power of new land was very important to European rulers at

the turn of the century. Europe had not colonized the New World, they may have left Africa

without colonization as well. Europe could not be the dominant powerhouse it is today without

these colonization eras. Global interdependence from the 16th century still has affected our lives

today with trading links that started all the way back hundreds of years ago.
 Works Cited Page

Abers, Tina. “The Age of Exploration.” Prezi.com, 3 June 2013, prezi.com/fjj4edu89dn3/the-age-of

exploration/.

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Belgian Congo.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopedia

Britannica, Inc., 12 Oct. 2014, www.britannica.com/place/Belgian-Congo.