Early European Explorers
During the 15th and 16th centuries around the world, the lure of economic opportunity, heroism, and adventure tempted explorers from Europe to travel hundreds of miles to explore the worlds that existed outside their own. What they discovered upon arriving at their destinations, was that these new lands, rich in natural resources, were already inhabited by people who had been living there for hundreds of years. The interactions that ensued between the European explorers and native peoples led to an abundance of trade between the Old and New worlds and increased horizons for people witnessing new cultures for the first time. For the most part, however, this interaction gave rise to warfare, slavery, and exploitation largely due to newfound perceptions about the people and their culture that went both ways; Europeans and indigenous peoples alike made assumptions about the other. These misconceptions shaped the way they regarded these new people they were in contact with as well. When Europeans' treks led them to Africa, the Americas, and Japan, they were quick to judge what they saw, given their own backgrounds and range of knowledge. Their limited experiences caused them to make misguided opinions of the people they found. Among
Just as the European explorers were surprised at what they found, the indigenous people were shocked as well. Depending on where and when, the experience was terrifying, beneficial, or any combination of both. The groups of people, who had been living on their own for so long, made their own assumptions about the strangers who came from so far away. In Africa, the Portuguese gave people generous gifts to trade for slaves, who would be brought back to the New World. In the eyes of Nzinga Mbemba, the King of Congo, the Portuguese were "thieves and men of bad conscience." (DOC 3) The removal of slaves from their homeland was extremely damaging and depopulating to the area. Meanwhile, in America, the Native Americans reacted to Spanish explorers coming to their home with horror, overwhelmed with the sight of cannons exploding objects. When they first saw the Spanish explorers, the native people thought that Cortes was the Sun god, and were horrified when his men brutally murdered the people one after another. In Japan, where Buddhism was the religion of most of the people, the introduction of Christianity was rejected, especially by one Japanese named Suzuki Shosan, who wrote, "...this Deus is a foolscap Buddha!" (DOC 14) The questioning of Christianity was due to the fact that their religious beliefs were already deeply ingrained in their culture. When Europeans made their appearance in already inhabited place, the reaction was mixed, but predominantly negative. In attempts to counteract the forces that were attempting to chan
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Approximate Word count = 1035
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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