European Colonization of the Americas
It is largely believed that the Vikings were the first citizens to arrive in the Americas. They were a Scandinavian tribe of explorers that migrated from Greenland setting up several colonies in their travels. Following the exploration of the Vikings Christopher Columbus “founded” the Americas. The journey of Columbus to the continent made way for the rapid expansion of the Americas by European settlers. During the 19th century around 50 million people left Europe for the Americas. Disease & Population Loss
Disease was a widespread epidemic during the time of primitive medicine. Unclean conditions paired with a lack of knowledge about the spread of disease allowed for a highly contagious setting. Early settlers of European and Asian decent found it commonplace to share living quarters with animals, thus leading to epidemic conditions for most settlers. Small pox, typhus, influenza, and measles among other diseases were brought to the Americas during the expansion. These diseases were responsible for killing between 10 and 20 million people or around 95% of the natives. Early Conquests, Claims, and Colonies
The first conquests of the Americas were made by the Spanish and Portuguese. Spanish and Portuguese settlers divided South America. England and France tried to colonize the Americas but failed. Soon after this attempt however with the combined efforts of the Netherlands France and England were able to succeed in taking over the Caribbean’s. As the push to colonize became stronger violent attacks became the norm. Fierce competition for territory pinned colonies against each other. Forced immigration
Slavery was a part of the Americas long before the Europeans settled here. Native Americans often captured members of other tribes and enslaved them for themselves. The Aztecs would often use their slaves for human sacrifices as a part of their religious traditions. The Spanish started their slavery with the Natives of...
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