DBQ Europe and the Americas

The motives of the Europeans during the times of their exploration into the americas were clearly based on religion (converting the natives) and the way they viewed the native's societies. These encounters and motives sometimes had negative impacts on both societies with a pattern of negativity. There were also positive impacts from these motives and encounters between the Europeans and natives also showing a pattern. The point of view in these documents is because the Europeans based their views on religion and the society that they saw in their encounters with the natives because they were used to a very different way of life, religion, society, culture as a whole and were therefore shocked at what they encountered. Additional documents that might be useful would be from the British because it would be a different point of view from a different period of time and with different motives and encounters.

In the time of the European exploration into the Americas, there were positive impacts from the motives of the Europeans motives and their encounters with the indigenous peoples of the Americas that affected both groups of people. Amerigo Vespucci didn't see many positive things in his encounters with these natives because he based his first impression and his motives in religion, calling the natives "worse than pagans", however at the end of the document he showed that his encounter with the natives did have some positive things for both groups when looking at the society of the natives. This can be said because at the end of his letter he says that the natives "are liberal in giving, for it is rarely they deny you anything". However, the natives he encountered didn't get pushed around, there was some respect, the Europeans had to give back, so it was really a positive thing for both (doc 1). Hernando Cortes also had very positive encounters and motives with the native americans. When he and his crew left they left "very peaceably inclined". The motives of Cortes were to convert the natives and also to gain some riches. He told the natives they "must no longer live in the pagan faith which they held", and they readily converted. This was a positive consequence of the encounter because peace was kept, and the Europeans didn't hurt the natives as they did when the Incas refused their dominance. This encounter between teh Europeans and Natives was very positive and peaceful. Cortes was very appreciative about their society and how the natives were so gracious, generous, open and impressed by the Europeans, and he also showed the pros in his encounter with the natives when it came to religion showing a positive point of view throughout the whole document (doc 3).

However, there were still negative motives and encounters between the Europeans and native Americans during this time of exploration. When Amerigo first encountered the Natives, he had a very negative attitude towards their religion and society because of what he was used to. He wasn't fair in the way he thought of them, being very closed-minded. He criticised their religion after his encounter with them, saying that they were heathen and worse than pagans. He was also negative about their society and way of living, expressing a negative point of view (doc 1). Dr. Diego Alverez Chanca showed a very negative encounter with natives in the caribe Islands. The natives he described were disgusting, cannibals, had no morals, creul, and over all horrible people. They obviously had no religion and their society was horrible in his eyes because throughout the document he demonstrated an extremely negative point of view (doc 2). While Hernando Cortes's letter showed the encounters between him and the natives to be very positive and pleasant, that doesn't mean the impact really was good for both groups. Even though it greatly benefited the Spaniards for the natives to convert and change their religions and societys, this might not be good for the natives because it would greatly change their culture and make it easy for the Europeans to take advantage of them (doc 3). Champlain also showed negative encounters with the native americans. According to his encounter, the natives had no religion, "they know not how to worship or pray". This mention of religion throughout the document shows that the Europeans often had the motive to convert and affect the religion of the natives. Champlain also mentioned negativity about the society of the natives, saying that they didn't wear clothes, weren't trustworthy, they were thieves, and he indicated that they weren't very educated when it came to trade, yet another negative point of view (doc 4). The last document was from the Aztec's point of view, when the Europeans were first arriving. Even though it wasn't from the Europeans it also showed a negative point of view about the motives and encounters with the Europeans because of the disastrous things that came with the Europeans, like the destruction of a kingdom and disease. It showed negativity towards the Europeans because it showed how scared the Aztec's were of the Europeans. The Europeans had a completely different society and religion that intrigued the natives at the same time as frightening them, even the leader of the mighty Aztecs was "filled with terror". That wasn't the only negative consequence for the Aztecs at this encounter, the Spaniards gave them a new disease that devasted the population, most likely smallpox because the document describes the painful experience of the 'sores erupted on our faces, our breasts, our bellies' (doc 5).

These documents showed a pattern of pros and cons or positives and negatives. This can be concluded because when the Europeans encountered the native Americans there were exchanges between the two groups that had positive aspects and negative aspects for one or both groups. The overall point of view was mainly negative because there was a major difference between the religion and society of the Europeans and the natives that tended to clash in a negative way. Because the two civilizations were so different, it caused a lot of tensions and negative feelings. Additional documents that could be useful in determining the motives and consequences of the European encounters with the indigenous peoples of the Americas would be documents from when the English/British started their explorations and encounters in the Americas. This would be helpful because it is known that these people were very advanced, and it might show more of the motives and encounters because of their competitiveness with the other countries and their want for power and control in the Americas.