![]() ![]() ![]() Columbus’s earliest writings about the people he encountered in the Americas stress their agreeability, their docility, and the ease with which he could conquer them. Finally, a major factor in the Europeans’ successful exploration of the Americas was their immunity to diseases like smallpox and influenza-diseases that claimed huge numbers of Native American lives.Ĭolumbus’s most lasting legacy was not his discovery of America, however it was his exploitation and massacre of the indigenous peoples of the Western hemisphere, which utterly transformed the modern world. A fifth reason is that European nations had “practiced” dominating island societies earlier in the century. Oddly, many textbooks downplay explorers’ economic motive, as if a desire for money were somehow “undignified.” Another factor motivating Europe’s world exploration was the proselytizing nature of Christianity: explorers felt it was their duty to spread news of Christ around the world. In his writings, Columbus is very clear about why he wanted to explore to the Americas: he wanted to win glory for himself and be rewarded in Heaven. A third factor was the cultural and even religious belief that becoming wealthy and controlling other people was a way of going to Heaven. ![]() ![]() Another key factor motivating Columbus’s voyage was the buildup of social technology, such as bookkeeping and printing. ![]()
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