After the Middle Ages, Europe went through a rebirth of literature and classical learning. This time period was known as the Renaissance. Also during this time period, The Age of Exploration had begun. Europe was trying to discover new and faster ways of reaching India. In the process, they found the Americas, along with other routes to Africa and Asia. From 1400 to 1500 AD, the Age of Exploration had a negative effect on the indigenous cultures of Europe, Africa, and the Americas. First, it was more negative to the indigenous cultures of Africa. Similarly, it was more negative to the indigenous cultures of the Americas. On the other hand, the Age of Exploration was more positive to the indigenous cultures of Europe. For Africa, the Age of …show more content…
Doc. 1 talks about Columbus using the King and Queen of Spain’s resources to find new land in their name. It was a very dangerous task and they felt they should honor him by granting him rights to govern any new land he discovered. This marked the beginning of the Columbian Exchange. It was a swap of cultures, plants, animas, and diseases between the Old and New world. It brought the Eastern and Western Hemispheres together. This demonstrates how the Age of Exploration had a positive impact on the indigenous cultures of Europe. Spain was proud of Columbus finding more land for them. They gave him a title as a result. Spain loved being able to have more land, and Columbus was able to give it to them. More land means more power. However, this document was written by the King and Queen of Spain. They were benefiting from Columbus, so of course they made it sound great. Doc. 2 discusses the King of Congo and his people showing great interest and respect for each object presented to them by the Portuguese explorers. The King ordered a church to be made and was baptized along with his subject the same day. This indicates that the Age of Exploration had a positive impact on the indigenous cultures of Europe. Europe believed it was their purpose in life to spread their religion to other nations. They were able to succeed in doing so with Congo. It made their influence greater, making them stronger and better. Doc. 8 mentions Dutch ships arriving from India filled to the brim with goods after a short journey. The people saw this as a good sign. This implies that the Age of Exploration was more positive than negative for the indigenous cultures of Europe. This is because they were able to receive goods from far away lands in a short amount of time, and a lot of it. They had easier access to more products making them stronger and more