Title: The Turning Point: European Conquests of the Americas (1492-1800)
Headings: The Turning Point: European Conquests of the Americas (1492-1800)
The Turning Point: European Conquests of the Americas (1492-1800)
Content: Initially, explorers and merchants hoped to find a sea route across the Atlantic to the thriving markets of Asia. But Columbus and his fellow Europeans greatly miscalculated the circumference of the earth. Instead, they found a whole new world to explore and exploit: North and South America. The risks were high when Spaniards and Portuguese first sailed across uncharted oceans. Many died from disease, exposure, starvation, and shipwrecks. But the potential material rewards could be glorious. So it’s not surprising that the first adventurers came to the Americas in search of riches. Upon arriving in the Americas, the Spanish and Portuguese sought precious metals or land that could be worked for profit, usually by slave labor. For example, Columbus and the Spanish settlers that followed him to the island of Hispaniola (today the Dominican Republic and Haiti) divided the land amongst themselves and virtually enslaved the indigenous Taino.