Corn originated in the highlands of Mexico when hunter-gatherers domesticated wild plants into a sustainable crop. This crop quickly became the basis that allowed the Aztec and Inca empires to thrive. The practice of growing corn slowly spread from Mexico to the Americas, where it was adopted by the native populations who inhabited those areas. At the time, the inhabitants of the Americas were nomadic hunter-gatherers. The agricultural practice of growing corn allowed and encouraged these groups to settle in one place, and thus to form complex societies reminiscent of the great empires that reigned throughout central Mexico. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThese three social groups used the agricultural practice of growing corn as an encouragement to settle. Since these groups were previously hunter-gatherers, they were nomadic. This is because hunting and gathering are not sustainable practices, so they would exhaust the resources available in a specific location and therefore be forced to move. This is where agriculture comes in: growing crops allowed these groups to settle an area, which in turn allowed them to spend less energy gathering food and more energy building impressive architecture and complex societies that are still studied by historians today. Growing corn also meant that these societies had to constantly innovate and invent new technologies to cultivate their agricultural practices. For example, the Pueblo people invented an intricate irrigation system to water their crops. This and similar technological advances are why corn cultivation was essential to the development of the impressive Native American societies. For the Europeans it was easier because at the time the natives were very scattered, both in a geographical sense but also in a social sense. Not only did they live far from each other, but they did not have the complex, unified societies that Mexico had (via the Aztec and Inca empires). This meant that it was more difficult to react and defend as one small group against a massive force of European explorers. meaning that corn had been used to build the great empires and complex societies that these groups lacked when the Europeans arrived. Explain some of the factors that led Europeans to explore and conquer Africa and the Americas between the 14th and 16th centuries. In your answer, be sure to refer to the following terms: compass, caravel, printing press, nation state, Christianity, and Asia. One of the factors that motivated European exploration and conquest was Europeans' hunger for the exotic goods that Asia had to offer. These were obviously very promising for wealth-hungry Europeans, however the means by which these goods were transported were expensive and required long and dangerous journeys. This was because half of European merchants traveled by land, by camel or on foot, or had to undertake even longer sea voyages on unreliable and unsafe ships. On top of this, tolls added an additional cost, meaning that by the time the products reached European traders, they were no longer worth the price they had been sold for. So clearly the inefficiency of this system motivated Europeans to find a better way to trade with Asia. Another factor that motivated this expansion was Christianity. For hundreds of years, Christian warriors have launched military efforts to take back the Holy Land from their ownMuslim inhabitants. Although their efforts were in vain, the military power they gained motivated them to venture into Asia and search for exotic goods. For much of European history up to that point, navigation around the western side of Africa had been rarely attempted and considered impossible due to the danger of the weather. This changed with Portugal's invention of the caravel, which was a small ship that could sail around the African continent without staying too far from the coast, thus dealing with weather conditions more safely and reliably. This allowed the Portuguese to further explore the southern part of Africa. After the Portuguese reached and attempted to conquer the tip of the African coast, their caravels pushed further towards their initial destination: Asia. Spain had recently put an end to an internal conflict while all this was going on, so Spain had a desire to surpass, or at least match Portugal, in its efforts to protect the Indies. Beyond that, Spain was at a new high point in the development of its nation state and the necessary next step was exploration and the goal of conquest. Seeing that Portugal controlled much of the African coast, Spain turned its attention west, not knowing the implications of such a voyage. Finally, two crucial technological elements aided the European “discovery” of the new world. These would be the printing press and the compass. The press allowed information to be shared reliably and consistently. This meant that maps and scientific knowledge could be printed without human error, making exploration safer and more efficient. The compass, borrowed from the Arabs and not invented by Europeans, allowed sailors to plot their course with much more precision than was previously possible. Spain claimed much of what is now Mexico and the western coast of South America. This is not surprising since the towns located in those areas speak Spanish, or a modern adaptation of it. Portugal claimed much of what is now Brazil and the eastern coast of South America. Again, this is not surprising considering that Brazil speaks Portuguese these days. Define the Colombian Exchange (click here for a map). (Map not working) The Columbian Exchange, as the name suggests, was a mass exchange of plants, animals, food, and disease between the historical old world and the already inhabited but recently publicized new world. Europeans discovered that the Caribbean climate was ideal for growing and supporting sugar cane, which fueled Europe's sugar industry. The so-called “sugar revolution” dramatically changed the average European diet, as it now included large amounts of sugar. In addition to this, the precious metals present in the Americas were perfect to be used to trade with Asia. Explain how the Columbian exchange harmed Native American populations. When Europeans arrived in the Native Americans they brought with them two deadly plagues that would spell disaster for the indigenous societies. The first is a plethora of deadly diseases. These were so common in Europe that over the centuries Europeans had developed antibodies that made them immune from contracting these diseases again. However, Native Americans did not have these antibodies, so diseases brought upon them a plague that killed most of their population. The other deadly force brought to the Americas in 1492 were the Europeans themselves. It may seem trivial to say this since it is a widely recognized fact, but Europeans killed and enslaved much of the remaining populationnative who had not died from disease and plague. The Columbian exchange also brought horses, which were quickly adopted by the natives of the plains. Describe the impact of New World gold and silver on European economies. The sudden influx of silver and gold into Europe caused three main effects. The first is that it increased the cost of goods by up to 500% in the century following the European "discovery" of the new world. The second effect was that from this enormous wealth came the system we know today as capitalism. The third effect is that any amount of gold and silver Europe tasted only made it want more, thus financing more and more expeditions to the Americas in search of more precious metals. It also fueled trade with Asia and kept the European economy rolling. The encomienda system was a system used by the Spanish to enslave natives by giving them to a colonist in exchange for conversion to Christianity. To what extent have these efforts been successful? They were temporarily successful due to the degree of brutality imposed on the pueblo people, but eventually reacted to the rebellion of the Pope, who burned the missions and churches that the Spanish had founded in that area. The caste system was a legal system of rankings based on race that gave certain privileges to certain people (who occupied a higher class in the caste system) and deprived some people of such privileges (who occupied a lower class in the caste system). How far up or down the ladder of the caste system was it possible? Explain using specific historical evidence. There were a few ways to move up in the caste system. The first is to officially purchase an exemption that would allow a person to obtain “legal whiteness,” thus giving them access to privileges afforded to those at the top of the caste system (people of Spanish descent born in Spain). Another way to move up in the caste system is to marry or marry someone with a lighter skin color than your own. This was a less official means of gaining a higher place in the caste system, however it encouraged racial mixing which would be known as a large contributing factor to the culture in that area to this day. Juan Gines de Sepulveda presented two main points in his argument. The first was to blatantly belittle Native Americans (who are called “Indians” because of the era from which these texts were written) as barbarians or animals. His second point was that the natives of the time, referring specifically to the complex societies of the Aztec and Inca empires, did indeed have a complex and impressive society, although they had nothing of their own and bowed to the will of their rulers. . He used this to his advantage regarding European colonization by saying that the natives would not object to changing masters, especially when their new masters (the Spanish) were a much more benevolent and Christian people. Here is a quote from Sepulveda that states this view (taken from the reading): “To take advantage of the death of a king to obtain a freer state more favorable to his interests; by not doing so, they clearly stated that they were born for slavery and not for civilized and liberal life. If therefore you want to reduce them, not to our dominion, but to a slightly less harsh servitude, it will not be difficult for them to change their masters, and instead of those they had, who were barbaric and impious and inhuman, to welcome the Christians , cultivators of human virtues and true faith." In this quote (taken from the reading), Sepulveda states that by freeing the natives from their original "masters" and replacing them with the Spanish, they were doing them a.