Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
Explain how the global transfer of disease in the pre-modern world helped in the colonisation of the Americas.
Advertisements
Solution
The Americas were colonised in the mid-sixteenth century. However, this was not due to the Spanish invaders’ superior military strength. The most powerful weapon of the Spanish conquerors was not a conventional military weapon, but rather the global spread of disease, which aided in the colonisation of the Americas. The Spaniards carried pathogens like smallpox with them to the Americas. Due to their prolonged seclusion, the locals lacked immunity to these diseases.
It resulted in the spread of these diseases across the continent. Smallpox, in particular, murdered and devastated countless civilisations, paving the way for the invasion and colonisation of the Americas. It was not a war. In May 1634, John Winthrop, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay colony in New England, claimed that smallpox was a sign of God’s blessing for the colonists. He stated that the natives were nearly all dead from smallpox, indicating that the Lord had cleared their title to what they possessed. Thus, weaponry could be purchased or captured and used against invaders, but not illnesses like smallpox, to which the conquerors were usually immune.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
Give two examples of different types of global exchanges which took place before the seventeenth century, choosing one example from Asia and one from the Americas.
The silk routes linked Asia with ______
America was discovered by ______
What was the product of India carrying on an active coastal trade in ancient times?
Which was the Tabled city of gold?
A major supplier of wheat in the world market was ______
The smallpox was first brought to America by ______
To escape religious persecution, the people of Europe fled to ______
The pre-modern world shrank due to the discovery of ______
The pasta was taken by Arab traders to ______
Buddhism emerged from eastern India and spread in several directions through intersecting points on ______
The Portuguese and Spanish conquest and colonization of America was decisively underway by the ______
Why did Europeans flee to America in 19th century? Identify the correct reason from the following options:
How did the 'small pox' prove as the most powerful weapon of the Spanish conquerors in the mid-sixteenth century? Explain.
Mention any two advantages of the Silk route in the pre-modern trade.
"The most powerful weapon of the Spanish conqueror was not a conventional military weapon at all.” Justify the above statement by giving two reasons.
“Traders and travelers introduced new crops to lands they travelled. “Substantiate this statement with illustrations.
