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Europeans brought unknown diseases to the new world during their invasion.
European were used to those diseases such as smallpox, or influenza due to their closeness to animals. On the other hand Native Americans were no immunes to those diseases and it resulted in the death of almost 90 % of the Native population.
The picture below represents the different stages of smallpox and reveal how horrible it must have been to have thousands of people suffering form it.
The commercial revolution was the tremendous exchange of goods between Africa, Europe and the Americas.
The major road was called the triangular trade.
It was a new way of trading because they were using new roads such as the road form Africa to the Americas. New goods such as pigs and goats unknown in the Americas were also traded. What also changed during this period of time was the decline of the nobility power to the merchants and entrepreneurs. Those were the people who made the most money.
Change in trade brought change culture. Due to this increasing global interaction, cultures started to mix.
As an example, food, such as yam or potatoes and other types of vegetables started to come to Europeans dinner tables.
In addition to this, religions started to mix. Christianity was spread around the Americas, but some rituals still stayed. Voodoo, a mix between East African rituals and Christianity is an example and the video you are going to watch is a voodoo ritual for honoring ancestors.
What also changed was the institution of a new social class, with Peninsulares at the top and Slaves at the bottom. It was not based on ranks but on race.
Like the ones who presented the social and political system must have said, it was an unfair system.
It created disparities between people and resulted in hatred for the other class.
At the beginning of the race, Spain and Portugal were the great winners of the America discovery. However after time, France and England started having some large colonies in North America that rivaled with those of Spain and Portugal. It was a great change and can explain why England is one of Europes leaders.
It was a period of great tensions between those European countries, and pirates called privateer were allowed to attack mercantilist boats. However a war erupted between France and Britain, called the 7-year war and it resulted in Englands gain of French colonies. Native Americans also took part in this fight and the video that you are going to watch is a fight between British and Native Americans.
Spain continued to use the same model as they used to conquer Asia.
They converted everyone to Christianity and took hold of Americas natural resources.
Spanish continued their expansions in the New World, and got hold of most of South America expect for Brazil.
Spain became one of the most important clients for the slave trade for decades.
In addition to this, the language that was instituted was Spanish and it is still the major language in those colonized countries.
Countries such as Spain, France, England and Portugal used the moto Divide and Conquer.
Hernan Cortez invaded the Aztecs with the help of rival tribes. Unfortunately, he also killed the ones that helped him.
France and Britain were peaceful at first with the Native Americans. However, when they started to use their natural resources conflicts erupted. As I said about the seven-year war, they asked Native American to fight on their side. And it shows continuity in their way of conquering.
Implication of Religion played an important role in the conquest of the Americas. An important reason why they wanted to go to those countries was to spread Christian belief. It was the revival of the crusaders that happened in 11OO ad.
However the Church not only spread Christianity but also took hold of important natural resources. And this can explain why Christianity still plays an important part in the political life of South America.
Colonizing Countries instituted social and political systems that were theirs in the colonized country.
Spain instituted a system of Viceroy, but they still had to pledge allegiance to the King.
France and England put governors, with a tendency to let them govern by themselves.
This showed continuity in their way of governing.