Chapter 2 Reflection

The development of the Atlantic World contains some of the most amazing, yet shocking stories. As I was reading, what stood out most to me was how determined some of the explorers were. People such as Bartolomeu Dias, Vasco da Gama, Hernan Cortes, and Christopher Columbus were all intelligent, driven, and brave as they traveled far distances in order to reach new land with promising opportunities. Back in the days, there was not any map that displayed a correct outline of the world. These travelers made several mistakes in their navigation and most ended up in a place far from their planned destination. I can’t imagine myself being in their positions and set out on a journey with only a vague map, a compass, and my own knowledge. I would not know how long the trip would be, whether I would make it back alive, and who or what I might encounter. The thought of blindly plunging into a massive ocean terrifies me, even as I am only in my room reading these stories from a textbook.

            Another topic that bothered me was the number of deaths that took place during this time period. Many innocent lives were lost because of the greed that European travelers harbored. Millions of natives were killed because of war, slavery, and mainly diseases. I find it absolutely infuriating to read about how these natives were killed and how their homes and families had been destroyed because the Europeans wanted to fulfill their needs of God, gold, and glory. However, Indians were not the only group that suffered. African Americans soon played a prominent role in this nightmare. They were considered properties and used for slavery. They had to go through such dehumanizing situations such as stripping down naked to be inspected and sold.

Despite how interesting history may be, I am annoyed at the amount of stories in history that had been covered up and the various sugar-coated tales that were told to children in school. As a child, I was taught in elementary school that Christopher Columbus was an amazing leader that greatly contributed to the finding of America. According to some of my teachers, we never would have been here today without his discoveries in 1492. Although that is true, the real story is that Columbus was America’s first slave trader who ignited the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. He enslaved native people and issued grants for the labor of Indians and their land. During this time, Indians were forced to search for gold and supply food for the Spanish. I understand the human characteristic of greed for wealth and glory, but I will never be able to understand how such horrifying actions were done by humans to other humans.