The Three G’s Why do you travel? Why do you think Europeans traveled?

Who is this man? Tell me what you know about him?

History in one sentence.

Anyone else have this experience? Murderer?

Christopher Columbus Italian sailor commissioned by King Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain to find a trade route to India. Embarked with the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria on a 36 day voyage across the Atlantic. Landed in Bahamas.

He’s a Hero, Right?

From His Captains Log “As soon as I arrived in the Indies, on the first Island which I found, I took some of the natives by force in order that they might learn and might give me information of whatever there is in these parts.” “I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves…They would make fine servants…With 50 men we could subjugate them all.”

He enslaved them. Forced to look for gold that wasn’t there. The Indians had been given an impossible task. The only gold around was bits of dust garnered from the streams. So they fled, were hunted down with dogs, and were killed. To avoid enslavement, the natives committed suicide and killed infants. “In two years, through murder, mutilation, or suicide, half of the 250,000 natives were dead.” Columbus right hand man, Las Casas, “met two Indian boys, each carrying a parrot. They took the parrots and for fun beheaded the boys…to test the sharpness of their blades.”

Video Link

And so the conquest for land begins. Once Columbus returned with news of America, the race for colonization was on. Colonization- The establishment of distant settlements controlled by the parent country. One by one, European countries started to claim land for their own throughout the world.

Treaty of Tordasillas

Where were the Aztec located?

Hernando Cortes Took an armada of conquistadors out to voyage the world in search of gold for Spain. He arrived in an iron clad suit of armor with dozens of horses, hundreds of armed men, and ships baring cannons. He landed in Tenochtitlan

Remember Quetzalcoatl?

Aztec Emperor Montezuma II Believed Cortes was Quetzalcoatl. Welcomed Cortes and his men into his city and gave him all of their gold.

Once the gold was in his possession, “Cortes then began his march of death from town to town…killing with deliberateness to paralyze the will of the Aztecs.” His army forced the population into the square, surrounded them with cannons, crossbows, and men mounted on horses. He then “massacred them. Down to the last man. They then looted the city and moved on to the next city”

End of the Aztecs

Native American population after European arrival

The cry of the poor is not always just, but if you don’t listen to it, you will never know what Justice is.

The purpose of all of this is not to place blame, but to paint an accurate depiction of what happened. There are two sides to every story. And it’s much easier to tell one side, especially if its from the viewpoint of the victor… which has usually been white males. Pocahontas “Savages” Do you feel this did a good job of showing both sides of the story?

Song Analysis Dave Matthews Band (cover of Neil Young), “Song 1” Dave Matthews Band, “Song 2” His songs are like a 3 legged dog. You have to get to know them before you love them.