FREE ESSAY ON EARLEY NORTH AMERICA

EARLEY NORTH AMERICA

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
message to Aztecs. On August 13th, 1521, Cortes, with the help of almost 200,000 native
allies achieved victory and captured Tenochtitlan (Meyer 122). Though both political and
psychological warfare, Spain conquered and destroyed this once proud society.
The English and French colonies were expanding their succession in the Northern regions
known as Canada. The explorers saw the natives as a worthless race which can be used for
European benefit. One of the first explorers, Jacques Cartier, said...This people will be
called savage; for they are the sourest folk there can being the world, and the whole lot
of them had not anything above the value of five sous, their canoes and fishing-nets
excepted.(Brown 74) Despite the initial intention for the European expedition, gold, the
economic resource that caused warfare throughout this land was fur. The natives were
exceptionally skilled in achieving beaver pelts for trade with the Europeans (Brown 76).
The natives would receive items in exchange for the fur such as firearms and ammunition
(Brown 85). These items of destruction would begin bloody wars between native rivalries.
The cause of these wars would be struggle for economic control. As a result, the powerful
Five Nations Iroquois confederacy, sent it's warriors, now familiar with European
weapons, on an astonishing wide ranging military campaign which between 1645 and 1655
destroyed all its Iroquoian rivals.(Brown 120) Tribes numbering as a total of ten
thousand were wiped out, because the Iroquois saw them as an obstacle to their prosperity
(Brown 121). This new European greed and corruption was the cause of thousands of native
deaths.
Both the Canadian and Mexican settlers were responsible for the spread of new diseases
among these lands. New diseases among these places would be catastrophic, as the native
would have had no exposure or immunity to any of them. In Mexico disease was a Spanish
advantage. But the Spaniards had a silent, deadly, and totally unexpected ally in the
land: one of Narvaez's men came to Mexico infected with smallpox, which spread quickly
with devastating consequences to the Indians. Tens of thousands were carried of by the
disease.(Meyer 119) The same sad sorry was present in Canada. Smallpox devastated the
Chippewyans in the 1780s...an estimated 90% of the population died...measles and whooping
cough killed half of the Brandon Assiniboine, and a third of the Western Cree...1838
smallpox carried off two-thirds of the Assiniboine, Blackfoot, and North Saskatchewan
Cree.(Brown 237) Never once regretting the devastation of their presence, European
settlers spread disease rampantly throughout Mexico and Canada.
In the early 16th century European explorers packed up their naval vessels and each set
sail for there own promise land. The promise land would hopefully contain treasures of
economic stimulation beyond their wildest dreams. When the Europeans reached Canada and
Mexico they found native peoples, which they saw as something that could be easily used,
or removed. Whether it be through such devices as political and psychological warfare,
economic competition between native cultures, or the importation of disease, European
conquerors were responsible for the near annihilation of native societies for their own
benefit. 
Bibliography
Bibliograghy
Craig Brown ed. 
The Illustrated History of Canada 
(Toronto: Key Porter Books Limited., 1997).
Susan M. Deeds, Michael C. Meyer and William L. Sherman. 
The Course of Mexican History 
New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.