Earley North America essays

Earley North America essays In the early 16th century, the European super powers, England, France and Spain decided to "broaden" their horizons. All three set sail in an attempt to further their power. But when they reached the shores of what is now known as Canada and Mexico what would they find? Would they find a land all ready occupied by a new and distinctly fascinating society? No, they found a land for the taking. These European "settlers" gave no regard to the native populations whom already occupied this vast land. Explorers such as Hernan Cortes and Jacques Cartier carried out this travesty by such factors as political and psychological warfare, economic competition between native cultures, and through the importation of disease. The Spanish, led by the Hernan Cortes, were responsible for the near annihilation of the native populations of Mexico. The main objective of the mission was to accumulate wealth so that Cortes could get rid of the large debt he and his men had incurred for this expensive expedition, as they had not been very successful on previous missions (Meyer 93). When the expedition arrived in Tabasco, the local natives resisted Cortes and the bloodshed began. The Spanish fought and killed two hundred natives while suffering only two deaths. Because of this battle the natives believed that the Spanish were invincible. Cortes used this to his advantage. He used horses, greyhounds and firearms to scare and intimidate the natives. He even went so far as to stage mock battles (Meyer 98). Cortes also used the native rivalries to his advantage. He would use all the natives that were against the Aztecs, the only known threat to the Spanish, as slaves and warriors to help him fight. In 1519, Cortes and his new men found their way into a town called Cholula that was allied with the Aztecs. The Spanish attacked and burned the town killing six thousand Cholulan warriors (Meyer104). Cortes used this massacre to send a powerful messa...